ADVENTURES 
OF  AKBAR 


FLORA 

ANNIE 

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THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 


f  3yAM-SHAVVJ 


THE  ADVENTURES 
OF    AKBAR 


By 

FLORA  ANNIE  STEEL 

Author  of 
'King  Errant,"  "On  the  Face  or  the  Water,"  etc. 

WITH  EIGHT  ILLUSTRATIONS  IN  COLOR  BY 

BYAM  SHAW 


NEW  YORK 

FREDERICK  A.   STOKES  COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 


Copyright,  1913,  hy 
Frederick  A.  Stokes  Company 


All  rights  reserved 


October,  19U 


A  DEDICATION 


Oft  when  the  house  lay  silent  in  the  heat 

My  thoughts  would  be  so  full  of  you,  my  sweet. 

That  dreaming  half — I  seemed  to  hear  once  more 

Your  little  fingers  fluttering  at  the  door. 

The  pitter  patter  of  your  childish  feet 

In  joyous  rhythm  cross  the  echoing  floor. 

Then  small,  soft  hands  would  nestle  into  mine. 
And  warm  soft  arms  around  my  neck  would  twine, 
As  soft  and  warm  the  dream  child  on  my  knees, 
Cuddling  so  close  in  clear  young  voice  would  tease 
And  tease  and  tease  in  mimicked  glad  young  whine 
For  "Just  one  little  story  if  you  please." 

So  half  in  jest  and  half  in  earnest,  too. 
Mostly  I  think  to  dream  my  dreaming  true, 
I'd  conjure  up  long  tales  of  lands  afar 
And  days  gone  by  that  yet  remembered  are; 
Shaping  my  stories  with  this  end  in  view 
To  gain  the  verdict  "Tell  some  more.  Mamma." 

For  I  was  happy  when  I  had  beguiled 

Into  my  life  the  spirit  of  a  child. 

Thus  one  by  one  the  weary  hours  flew 

And  page  by  page  a  little  volume  grew. 

So — that  my  dreams  with  truth  be  reconciled. 

Take  it,  my  darling,  it  was  writ  for  you. 

April,  1876 

Long  years  have  sped  since  that  poor  book  was  penned. 

None  read  the  pages.     Therefore  at  the  end 

Of  this  world's  life  I  dedicate  to  two 

Small  boys — her  sons — whose  questioning  eyes  of  blue 

Tell  me  that  dreams  of  childhood  never  end 

This  book.    So  take  it,  boys — 'twas  writ  for  you. 

1911 


502 i 02 


PREFACE 

This  book  is  written  for  all  little  lads  and  lasses, 
but  especially  for  the  former,  since  it  is  the  true — quite 
true — story  of  a  little  lad  who  lived  to  be,  perhaps,  the 
greatest  king  this  world  has  ever  seen. 

It  is  a  strange,  wild  tale  this  of  the  adventures  of 
Prince  Akbar  among  the  snowy  mountains  between 
Kandahar  and  Kabul,  and  though  the  names  may  be 
a  bit  of  a  puzzle  at  first,  as  they  will  have  to  be  learned 
by  and  bye  in  geography  and  history  lessons,  it  might 
be  as  well  to  get  familiar  with  them  in  a  story-book; 
though,  indeed,  as  everybody  in  it  except  Roy  the 
Rajput,  Meroo  the  cook  boy;  Tumbu,  the  dog;  and 
Down,  the  cat  (and  these  four  may  have  been  true, 
you  know,  though  they  have  not  been  remembered) 
really  lived,  I  don't  know  whether  this  book  oughtn't 
to  be  considered  real  history,  and  therefore 

A  LESSON  BOOK 

Anyhow,  I  hope  you  won't  find  it  dull. 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I      Farewell 1 

II      The  First  Victory 11 

III  The  Royal  Umbrella    ...••.      .  SO 

IV       TUMBU-DOWN 27 

V      On  the  Road 39 

VI      At  Court 50 

VII      Winter 58 

VIII      Down's  Stratagem 68 

IX.      Spring 77 

X      The  Night  of  Record 88 

XI      A  Winter  March 100 

XII      Snow  and  Ice 109 

XIII      Over  the  Pass 119 

XIV      In  the  Valley 128 

XV      Dearest  Lady 138 

XVI      Cruel  Brother  Kumran 147 

XVII      Imprisonment 159 

XVIII      The  Garden  of  Games 169 

XIX      Betwixt  Cup  and  Lip 178 

XX      Escaped 187 

XXI      Dawn 196 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 


CHAPTER  I 

FAREWELL 

Bismillah  Al-la-hu  Akbar! 

These  queer-looking,  queer-sounding  words,  which 
in  Arabic  mean  "thanks  be  to  God,"  were  shrilled  out 
at  the  very  top  of  Head-nurse's  voice.  Had  she  been 
in  a  room  they  would  have  filled  it  and  echoed  back 
from  the  walls ;  for  she  was  a  big,  deep-chested  woman. 
But  she  was  only  in  a  tent;  a  small  tent,  which  had 
been  pitched  in  a  hurry  in  an  out-of-the-way  valley 
among  the  low  hills  that  lead  from  the  wide  plains 
of  India  to  Afghanistan.  For  Head-nurse's  master 
and  mistress.  King  Humayon  and  Queen  Humeeda, 
with  their  thirteen  months'  old  little  son,  Prince 
Akbar,  were  flying  for  their  lives  before  their  enemies. 
And  these  enemies  were  led  by  Humayon's  own 
brothers.  Prince  Kumran,  Askurry  and  Hindal.  It 
is  a  long  story,  and  a  sad  story,  too,  how  Humayon, 
so  brave,  so  clever,  so  courteous,  fell  into  misfortune 
by  his  own  fault,  and  had  to  fly  from  his  beautiful 
palaces  at  Delhi  and  wander  for  years,  pursued  like 
a  hare,  amid  the  sandy  deserts  and  pathless  plains  of 
Western  India.  And  now,  as  a  last  resource,  his  fol- 
lowers dwindled  to  a  mere  handful,  he  was  making  a 

1 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

desperate  effort  to  escape  over  the  Persian  border  and 
claim  protection  at  the  hands  of  Persia's  King. 

So  the  poor  tent  was  ragged  and  out  at  elbows,  for 
all  that  it  was  made  of  costly  Kashmir  shawds,  and 
that  its  poles  were  silver-gilt. 

But  Head-nurse's  "Thanks  be  to  God!"  came  from 
a  full  heart. 

"What  is  it?  What  is  it?"  called  an  anxious  voice 
from  behind  the  curtain  which  divided  the  tent  in  two. 

"What?"  echoed  Head-nurse  in  high  glee.  "Only 
this:  His  Imperial  Highness,  Prince  Akbar,  the  Ad- 
mired-of-the- World,  the  Source-of -Dignity,  the  Most- 
JNIagnificent-Person-of-the-Period — "  She  went  on, 
after  her  wont,  rolling  out  all  the  titles  that  belonged 
of  right  to  the  little  Prince,  until  the  soft,  anxious 
voice  lost  patience  and  called  again,  "Have  done — 
have  done ;  wdiat  is  it  ?  Heaven  save  he  hath  not  been 
in  danger." 

Head-nurse,  stopped  in  her  flow  of  fine  words, 
sniffed  contemptuously.  "Danger!  with  me  to  guard 
him?  No!  'Tis  that  the  High-in-Pomp  hath  cut  his 
first  real  back  tooth !  He  can  eat  meat !  He  has  come 
to  man's  estate!  He  is  no  longer  dependent  upon 
milk  diet."  Here  she  gave  a  withering  glance  at  the 
gentle  looking  woman  who  w^as  Babj^  Akbar's  wet- 
nurse,  who,  truth  to  tell,  was  looking  just  a  little  sad 
at  the  thought  that  her  nursling  would  soon  leave  her 
consoling  arms. 
2 


FAREWELL 

"Heavens!"  exclaimed  the  voice  from  within,  "say 
you  so?"  And  the  next  instant  the  curtain  parted, 
and  there  was  Queen  Humeeda,  Baby  Akbar's 
mother,  all  smiling  and  eager. 

Now,  if  you  want  to  know  what  she  was  like,  you 
must  just  think  of  your  own  dearest  dear  mummie.  At 
least  that  was  what  she  seemed  to  little  Prince  Akbar, 
who,  at  the  sight  of  her,  held  out  his  little  fat  arms 
and  crowed,  "Amma!  Amma!"  Now,  this,  you  will 
observe,  is  only  Enghsh  "Ma-Ma"  arranged  differ- 
ently; from  which  you  may  guess  that  English  and 
Indian  children  are  really  very  much  alike. 

And  Queen  Humeeda  took  the  child  and  kissed 
him  and  hugged  him  just  as  any  English  mother 
would  have  done.  Head-nurse,  however,  was  not  a 
bit  satisfied  with  this  display  of  affection.  That 
would  have  been  the  portion  of  any  ordinary  child, 
and  Baby  Akbar  was  more  than  that :  he  was  the  heir 
apparent  to  the  throne  of  India!  If  he  had  only  been 
in  the  palaces  that  belonged  to  him,  instead  of  in  a 
miserable  tent,  there  would  have  been  ceremonials 
and  festivities  and  fireworks  over  this  cutting  of  a 
tooth!  Aye!  Certainly  fireworks.  But  how  could 
one  keep  up  court  etiquette  when  royalty  was  flying 
for  its  life  ?  Impossible !  Why,  even  her  determina- 
tion that,  come  what  might,  a  royal  umbrella  must  be 
held  over  the  blessed  infant  during  their  perilous  jour- 
neys had  very  nearly  led  to  his  being  captured! 

3 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

Despite  this  recollection,  as  she  listened  impatiently 
to  the  cooings  and  gurglings,  she  turned  over  in  her 
mind  what  she  could  do  to  commemorate  the  occasion. 
And  when  pretty  Queen  Humeeda  (thinking  of  her 
husband,  the  king,  who,  with  his  few  followers,  had 
ridden  off  to  see  if  a  neighboring  chief  would  help 
them)  said,  "This  will  be  joyful  news  w^herewith  to 
cheer  my  lord  on  his  return,"  Head-nurse's  irritation 
found  voice. 

"That  is  all  very  well,"  she  cried.  "So  it  would 
be  to  any  common  father  of  any  common  child,  Your 
Royal  Highness!  This  one  is  the  Admired-of-the- 
Whole-World,  the  Source-of-Dignity,  the  Most- 
Magnificent-terson-of-the-Period " 

And  she  went  on  rolling  out  queer  guttural  Arabic 
titles  till  Foster-mother  implored  her  to  be  silent  or  she 
would  frighten  the  child.  Could  she  not  see  the  look 
on  the  darling's  face? 

For  Baby  Akbar  was  indeed  listening  to  something 
with  his  little  finger  up  to  command  attention.  But 
it  was  not  to  Head-nurse's  thunderings,  but  to  the 
first  long,  low  growl  of  a  coming  storm  that  outside 
the  miserable  tent  was  turning  the  distant  hills  to 
purple  and  darkening  the  fast-fading  dayhght. 

"Frighten?"  echoed  Head-nurse  in  derision.  "The 
son  of  Humayon  the  heroic,  the  grandson  of  Baber 
the  brave  could  never  be  frightened  at  anything!" 

And  in  truth  the  little  lad  was  not  a  bit  afraid,  even 


FAREWELL 

when  a  distant  flash  of  lightning  ghmmered  through 
the  dusk. 

"Heavens!"  cried  gentle  Queen  Humeeda,  "his 
Majesty  will  be  drenched  to  the  skin  ere  he  returns." 
She  was  a  brave  woman,  but  the  long,  long  strain  of 
daily,  hourly  danger  was  beginning  to  tell  on  her 
health,  and  the  knowledge  that  even  this  coming  storm 
was  against  them  brought  the  tears  to  her  eyes. 

*'Nay!  Nay!  my  royal  mistress,"  fussed  Head- 
nurse,  who,  in  spite  of  her  love  of  pomp,  was  a  kind- 
hearted,  good  woman,  "this  must  not  be  on  such  an 
auspicious  day.  It  must  be  celebrated  otherwise,  and 
for  all  we  are  so  poor,  we  can  yet  have  ceremonial. 
When  the  child  was  born  were  we  not  in  direst  danger? 
Such  danger  that  all  his  royal  father  could  do  in  honor 
of  the  glad  event  was  to  break  a  musk-bag  before  his 
faithful  followers  as  sign  that  the  birth  of  an  heir 
to  empire  would  diffuse  itself  like  perfume  through 
the  whole  world?  Even  so  now,  and  if  I  cannot  devise 
some  ceremony,  then  am  I  no  Head-nurse!" 

So  saying  she  began  to  bustle  around,  and  ere  long 
even  poor,  unhappy  Queen  Humeeda  began  to  take 
an  interest  in  the  proceedings. 

A  mule  trunk,  after  being  ransacked  for  useful 
odds  and  ends,  was  put  in  a  corner  and  covered  with 
a  worn  satin  quilt.  This  must  do  for  a  throne.  And 
a  strip  of  red  muslin  wound  about  the  little  gold- 
embroidered  skull  cap  Baby  Akbar  wore  must,  with 

5 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

the  heron's  plume  from  his  father's  state  turban,  make 
a  monarch  of  the  child. 

In  truth  he  looked  very  dignified  indeed,  standing 
on  the  mule  trunk,  his  little  legs  very  wide  apart,  his 
little  crimson  silk  trousers  very  baggy,  his  little  green 
brocade  waistcoat  buttoned  tight  over  his  little  fat 
body,  and,  trailing  from  his  shoulders  in  great  stiff 
folds,  his  father's  state  cloth-of-gold  coatee  embroid- 
ered with  seed  pearls. 

So,  as  he  always  wore  great  gold  bracelets  on  his 
little  fat  amis,  and  great  gold  jingling  anklets  fring- 
ing his  little  fat  feet,  he  looked  very  roj^al  indeed. 
Very  royal  and  large  and  calm,  for  he  was  a  grave 
baby  with  big,  dark,  piercing  ej^es  and  a  decided  chin. 

"He  is  as  like  his  grandfather  as  two  splits  of  a 
pea!"  cried  Head-nurse  in  rapture,  and  then  she  went 
to  the  tent  door  and  shrilled  out : 

"Slaves!  Quick!  Come  and  perform  your  lowly 
salute  on  the  occasion  of  the  cutting  of  a  back  tooth 
belonging  to  the  Heir-to-Empire,  the  ]\Iost " 

She  cut  short  her  string  of  titles,  for  a  crash  of 
thunder  overhead  warned  her  she  had  best  be  speedy 
before  the  rain  soaked  through  the  worn  tent. 

"Quick,  slaves!"  she  added;  "keep  us  not  waiting  all 
day.  Enter  and  prostrate  yourselves  on  the  ground 
with  due  reverence!    Quick!    Quick!" 

She  need  not  have  been  in  such  a  hurry,  for  it  did 
not  take  long  for  the  "slaves,"  as  she  called  them,  to 
6 


FAREWELL 

perforin  their  lowly  salaam  by  touching  the  very 
ground  with  their  foreheads.  There  were  but  three 
of  them— Old  Faithful,  the  trooper;  Roy,  the  Rajput 
boy;  and  Meroo,  the  scullion;  the  rest  were  away  with 
their  master.  King  Humayon. 

Old  Faithful,  however,  tall,  lank,  grey-bearded, 
brought  enough  devotion  for  half  a  dozen  followers. 
He  had  served  with  little  Akbar's  grandfather,  Babar 
the  brave,  and  when  he  saw  the  child  standing  so  fair 
and  square,  he  gave  almost  a  sharp  cry  of  remem- 
brance and  delight.  And  when  he  stood  up  after  his 
prostration,  in  soldier  fashion  he  held  out  the  hilt  of 
his  old  sword  for  the  baby  to  touch  in  token  that  its 
service  was  accepted.  Queen  Humeeda,  who  stood  be- 
side her  little  son,  guided  his  fat  fingers  to  the  sword; 
but  at  the  very  moment  a  vivid  flash  of  lightning  made 
her  give  a  shriek  and  cover  her  face  with  her  hands. 
But  little  Prince  Akbar  having  got  a  hold  of  the  hilt, 
would  not  let  go.  And  to  Old  Faithful's  huge  delight 
he  pulled  and  pulled  till  the  sword  came  out  of  the 
scabbard. 

"An  omen!  An  omen!"  cried  the  old  man.  "Like 
his  grandfather,  he  will  fight  battles  ere  he  be  twelve!" 

Then  there  was  Roy,  the  Rajput  lad,  whom  the 
royal  fugitives  had  found  half  dead  from  sunstroke 
in  the  wide,  sandy  Rajputana  deserts,  and  whom, 
with  their  customary  kindness,  they  had  succoured  and 
befriended,  putting  him  on  as  a  sort  of  page  boy  to 

7 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

the  little  Heir-to-Empire.  He  was  a  tall,  slim  lad 
for  his  twelve  years,  was  Roy,  with  a  small,  well-set 
head  and  a  keen,  well-cut  face.  And  his  eyes!  They 
were  like  a  deer's — large,  hrown,  soft,  but  with  a  flash 
in  them  at  times. 

For  the  sunstroke  which  had  so  nearly  killed  the 
lad  had  left  his  mind  a  httle  confused.  As  yet  he 
could  remember  nothing  of  what  had  happened  to  him 
before  it,  and  could  not  even  recollect  who  he  was,  or 
anything  save  that  his  name  was  Roy.  But  every  now 
and  again  he  w^ould  say  something  or  do  something 
which  would  make  those  around  him  look  surprised, 
and  wonder  w^ho  he  could  have  been  to  know  such 
things  and  have  such  manners. 

After  him  came  oNIeroo,  the  misshapen  cook-boy. 
He  was  an  odd  fellow,  all  long  limbs  and  broad  smiles, 
who,  when  his  time  arrived,  shambled  forward,  cast 
himself  in  lowliest  reverence  full  length  on  the  ground 
and  blubbered  out  his  delight — now  that  the  princely 
bab}^  could  really  eat — at  being  able  to  supply  all 
sorts  of  toothsome  stews  full  of  onions  and  green 
ginger,  to  say  nothing  of  watermelons  and  sugar  cane. 
These  things,  strange  to  say,  being  to  little  Indian 
children  very  much  what  chocolate  creams  and  toffee 
are  to  Enghsh  ones. 

So  far  all  had  gone  well,  and  now  there  only  re- 
mained one  more  salute  to  be  made.  But  little  Adam, 
who  was  Head-nurse's  own  son,  and  who  had  hitherto 
8 


FAREWELL 

been  Baby  Akbar's  playmate,  refused  absolutely  to 
do  as  he  was  bid.  He  was  a  short,  sturdy  boy  of  five, 
and  nothing  would  induce  him  to  go  down  on  his 
knees  and  touch  the  ground  with  his  forehead.  In 
vain  Meroo,  the  cook-boy,  promised  him  sweets  if  he 
would  only  obey  orders ;  in  vain  Old  Faithful  spoke 
of  a  ride  on  his  old  war-horse,  and  Roy,  who  was  a 
most  wonderful  story-teller,  promised  him  the  best 
of  all,  Bopuluchi.  In  vain  his  mother,  losing  patience 
at  such  a  terrible  piece  of  indecorum,  rushed  at 
him  and  cuffed  him  soundly.  He  only  howled  and 
kicked. 

And  then  suddenly  Baby  Akbar,  who  had  been 
listening  with  a  solemn  face,  brought  his  little  bare 
foot  down  on  the  mule  trunk  with  such  a  stamp  that 
the  golden  anklets  jingled  and  jangled,  and  his  little 
forefinger  went  up  over  his  head  in  the  real  Eastern 
attitude  of  royal  command. 

"Salute,  slave,  salute,"  he  said  with  a  tremendous 
dignity.  And  there  was  something  so  comical  about 
the  little  mite  of  a  child,  something  so  masterful  in 
the  tiny  figure,  something  so  commanding  in  the  loud, 
deep-toned  baby  voice,  that  every  one  laughed,  and 
somehow  or  other  Adam  forgot  his  obstinacy  and 
made  his  obeisance  like  a  good  boy. 

And  then  once  more  pretty  Queen  Humeeda 
hugged  and  kissed  her  little  son,  and  all  the  rest  ap- 
plauded him,  and  made  so  much  of  him  that  he  began 

9 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

to  think  he  had  done  something  very  fine  indeed,  and 
crowed  and  clapped  his  hands  in  dehght. 

But  the  merriment  did  not  last  long,  for  there  was 
a  clatter  of  horses  and  swords  outside  the  tent. 

"M}^  hushand!"  cried  Queen  Humeeda  in  a  flutter. 
*'What  news  does  my  lord  bring?" 


10 


CHAPTER  II 

THE  FIRST  VICTORY 

The  next  moment  a  tall,  handsome  man  entered  the 
tent ;  but  one  look  at  his  pale,  anxious  face  was  enough 
to  tell  those  inside  that  the  news  was  bad.  So  for 
an  instant  there  was  silence;  and  in  the  silence,  with 
a  deafening  roar  and  a  blinding  blaze  of  blue  light, 
came  a  terrific  crash  of  thunder  followed  by  a  sudden 
fierce  pelt  of  hail  upon  the  taut  tent  roof. 

It  sent  a  shiver  through  the  listeners.  They  felt 
that  the  storm  had  broken  indeed  upon  their  heads, 
that  danger  was  close  beside  them. 

Then  the  King  stepped  to  his  wife's  side  and  took 
her  hand,  and  as  he  spoke  there  was  a  sob  in  his  breath 
as  of  an  animal  who  after  a  long  chase  finds  himself  at 
last  driven  to  bay. 

"Come!"  he  said  briefly,  "there  may  yet  be  a  chance 
for  us.  My  horse,  weary  though  it  be,  will  suffice  for 
thy  light  weight.  In  the  mountains  lies  possible 
safety.    Come!    There  is  not  a  moment  to  lose." 

"But— but  the  child—"  faltered  the  Queen. 

King  Humayon's  voice  failed  him.  He  could  not 
speak  for  a  moment;  but  he  shook  his  head. 

"I  will  not  leave  the  child — "  began  the  wretched 
mother.  "My  lord !  thou  canst  not  have  the  heart " 

"It  is  his  only  chance — "  interrupted  the  poor  King, 

11 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

his  face  full  of  grief  and  anger,  of  bitter,  bitter  re- 
gi-et — "His  only  chance  of  life !  In  the  mountains  yon- 
der, with  winter  snow  upon  us,  lies  certain  death  for 
one  so  young.  Were  we  to  stay  with  liim  here,  he 
would  find  death  with  us — for  my  brother  Askurry 
is  close  behind  us.  But  if  we  are  gone,  God  knows, 
but  he  might  spare  the  child.  Askurry  is  not  all  un- 
kind, and  the  little  lad  favors  my  father  so  much  that 
his  blessed  memory  may  be  safeguard.  God  send  it 
so.      It   is   his   best   chance,   his   only   chance.     So 


come 

"I  cannot!  I  cannot!''  moaned  the  poor  mother 
distractedly. 

"There  is  no  other  w^ay,  sweetheart!"  said  the  King, 
"so  be  brave,  little  mother,  and  come  for  thy  son's 
sake.  He  will  be  safer  here  than  with  thee.  Come  1 
trusting  in  God's  mercy  for  the  child.  And  come 
quickly  while  the  darkness  of  the  storm  shrouds  our 
going." 

Then  he  looked  round  on  those  others — Head- 
nurse,  Wet-nurse,  Old  Faithful,  Roy  the  Rajput,  and 
Meroo  the  cook-boy — not  much  of  a  bodyguard  for 
the  young  prince,  and  yet,  since  force  would  be  use- 
less, perhaps  as  good  as  any  other,  if  they  had  a  head 
between  them.  But  the  nurses  were  women.  Faithful 
nothing  but  an  old  soldier,  and  the  two  others  were 
mere  boys.  Some  one  else  must  be  left.  Who?  Then 
he  remembered  Foster-father,  Foster-mother's  hus- 
12 


THE  FIRST  VICTORY 

band.  He  was  the  man.  Solid,  sober,  clear-headed. 
So,  as  Queen  Humeeda  was  being  hurriedly  wrapped 
in  a  shawl  by  the  two  weeping  nurses,  he  gave  them  a 
few  directions.  They  were  to  stay  where  they  were, 
no  matter  what  happened,  until  Foster-father  re- 
turned from  showing  the  fugitives  a  path  he  knew  to 
the  mountains,  and  then 

King  Humayon  could  say  no  more.  Only  as,  after 
a  hurried,  tearless,  hopeless  farewell  to  his  little  son, 
he  paused  at  the  tent  door  to  take  a  last  look,  his  half- 
fainting  wife  in  his  arms,  he  said  suddenly  in  a  sharp, 
loud  voice: 

"Remember!  In  your  charge  lies  the  safety  of  the 
Heir-to-Empire." 

The  words  sank  into  the  very  hearts  of  those  who 
stood  watching  the  group  of  hurrying  figures  making 
its  way  rapidly  toward  the  hills. 

"Pray  Heaven,"  muttered  Old  Faithful  anxiously, 
"that  they  be  over  the  rise  before  those  who  follow 
see  them." 

So  they  stood  fearfully  watching,  watching.  And 
Heaven  was  kind,  for  though  one  great  blue  blaze  of 
lightning  showed  the  fugitives  clear  against  the  sky 
line,  when  the  next  came  there  was  nothing  but  the 
rugged  rocks. 

Then  for  the  first  time  Baby  Akbar,  who  had  been 
silent  in  his  nurses'  arms,  watching  with  the  rest,  lifted 
up  his  deep-toned  baby  voice; 

13 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

*'Daddy,  Amma,"  he  said  contentedly,  "gone  up 
in  a  ky. 

Whereupon  Foster-mother  wept  loudly  and  prayed 
that  good  angels  might  protect  her  darling. 

But  Head-nurse  was  more  practical,  and  set  about 
considering  how  best  that  safety  might  be  secured. 
Who  was  tliere  who  could  help  ?  Xo  one  of  much  use, 
truly,  though  every  one  was  brimful  of  devotion  and 
ready  to  give  his  or  her  life  for  the  Heir-to-Empire. 

"I  will  kill  the  first  man  who  dares — "  began  Old 
Faithful. 

"Aye!  The  first!  But  how  about  the  last,  old 
man?"  interrupted  Head-nurse.  "Force  will  be  of 
no  avail.     Askurry  hath  half  an  army  with  him." 

"Harm  shall  only  come  to  the  child  through  my 
bod}^"  wept  Foster-mother,  whereat  Head-nurse 
laughed  scornfully. 

"Woman's  flesh  is  a  poor  shield,  fool!  God  send 
we  find  better  protection  than  thy  carcass." 

"Boo!  hoo!"  blubbered  Meroo  the  cook-boy.  "Lo! 
Head-nurse !  I  could  kill  a  whole  army  by  poisoning 
their  suppers." 

Head-nurse  nodded  faint  approval.  "Now,  there 
is  some  sense  in  that,  scullion,  but  what  about  that  they 
may  do  supperless?    If  they  should  dare " 

"They  will  not  dare,"  said  a  clear,  sharp  voice,  and 
Roy  the  Rajput  lad  stepped  forward,  a  light  in  his 
great  eyes.  "My  mother  used  to  say,  'Fear  not!  A 
14 


THE  FIRST  VICTORY 

king's  son  is  a  king's  son  always,  so  be  that  he  forgets 
not  kingship.'  " 

Head-nurse  stood  puzzled  for  a  second,  then  she 
caught  the  meaning  of  the  lad's  words,  for  she  was  a 
clever,  capable  woman,  and  had  all  a  woman's  quick- 
ness. 

"Thou  art  right,  my  lad,"  she  said  slowly,  looking 
curiously  at  Roy,  from  whose  face  the  flash  of  mem- 
ory seemed  to  have  passed.  "Thou  art  right.  In 
royalty  lies  safety.  The  Heir-to-Empire  must  receive 
his  enemies  as  a  King !  Quick !  slaves !  Close  the  tent 
door  and  let  us  bring  forth  all  we  have,  and  make  all 
things  as  regal  as  we  can.    There  is  no  time  to  lose." 

And  they  did  not  lose  any.  The  result  being  that 
when,  quarter  of  an  hour  afterward.  Prince  Askurry, 
bitterly  disappointed  at  finding  that  his  real  quarry, 
the  King  and  Queen,  had  escaped,  strode  with  some  of 
his  followers  into  the  tent  where  he  was  told  Baby 
Akbar  was  to  be  found,  he  paused  at  the  door,  first  in 
astonishment  and  then  in  amusement. 

It  was  really  rather  a  pretty  picture  which  he  saw. 
To  begin  with  the  tent  had  been  lit  up  with  the  little 
rushlight  lamps  they  call  in  India  chiraghs — tiny 
saucers  which  can  be  made  of  mud  in  which  a  cotton 
wick  floats  in  a  few  drops  of  oil — and  a  row  of  these 
outlined  the  mule  trunk  throne.  Then  Meroo's  mis- 
shapen limbs  had  been  hidden  under  a  chain  corselet 
and  helmet,  so  he  made  quite  a  respectable  fellow  to 

15 


THE  ADVEXTURES  OF  AKBAR 

Old  Faithful,  as  the  two  supporters  stood  bolt  upright 
with  drawn  swords  one  on  either  side,  while  beneath 
them,  on  the  ragged  old  Persian  carpet  which  had 
been  spread  to  hide  the  dirty  tent  drugget,  crouched 
Head-nurse  and  Foster-mother,  their  faces  veiled  with 
their  best  gold  embroidered  veils. 

A  great  pile  of  cushions  had  been  placed  on  the 
muletrunk,  and  in  the  centre  of  these  sat  Baby  Ak- 
bar,  the  Royal  heron's  plume  of  his  turban  waving 
gently  in  the  breeze  caused  by  the  slow  dignified 
sweep  of  the  Royal  fan  which  Roy,  who  stood  behind 
his  young  master,  was  swinging  backwards  and  for- 
wards. 

But  it  was  not  the  prettiness  of  the  picture  which 
made  Prince  Askurry  pause.  It  was  the  child's  open 
fearless  face  which  reminded  him  at  once — as  King 
Humayon  had  hoped  it  might — of  that  dear,  beloved 
father  whose  memory,  even  in  their  worst  w^icked- 
nesses,  was  ever  a  good  influence  in  the  lives  of 
his  sons.  Babar  the  Brave!  Babar  of  the  Gen- 
erous Heart!  the  Kindly  Smile!  Who  could  forget 
him? 

But  behind  Prince  Askurry  were  others  who  did 
not  remember;  who  were  eager  to  kill  and  have  done 
with  Humayon  and  his  son  for  ever. 

And  when  they  saw  Prince  Askurry  pause,  they 
were  quick  with  advice. 

*'It  is  unwise  to  spare  snakes'  spawn,"  said  one. 
16 


^ynt^^smi^ 


THE  FIRST  VICTORY 

"The  boy  is  father  to  the  man,"  said  another.  "He 
who  is  wise  kills  j^oung  rats  as  well  as  old  ones." 

And  still  Prince  Askurry  paused  while  poor  Head- 
nurse  and  Wet-nurse  went  sick  with  fear  under  their 
veils  at  what  might  be  going  to  happen,  and  Old 
Faithful's  hand  clasped  the  hilt  of  his  sword  tighter, 
since  come  what  may  he  meant  to  strike  one  blow  for 
his  young  master.  But  Roy's  keen  eyes  showed — as 
the  peacock's  feather  fan  swept  past  them  backwards 
and  forwards — like  a  hawk's  as  it  hovers  above  a  par- 
tridge. There  was  in  them  a  defiance,  a  certainty  that 
victory  must  come. 

Suddenly  a  wicked  laugh  filled  the  tent.  "Peace! 
brothers,"  said  a  sneering  voice,  "Prince  Askurry  pre- 
fers to  leave  the  snake  to  fight  with  his  own  son  in  the 
future." 

The  taunt  told.  It  was  true!  Better  to  scotch  the 
snake  now,  than  to  leave  it  to  be  dangerous  by  and  by ; 
dangerous  perhaps  to  his  own  little  son  who  was  but  a 
few  years  older  than  Baby  Akbar. 

Prince  Askurry  strode  forward  drawn  sword  in 
hand;  but  whether  he  really  meant  to  use  it  or  not 
cannot  be  told,  for  a  very  strange  thing  happened. 
Baby  Akbar  had  been  listening  to  the  fierce  voices 
just  as  he  had  listened  to  the  angry  voices  when  Adam 
had  refused  to  salute.  And  now  he  saw  some  one  be- 
fore him  who  appeared  to  have  no  intention — as 
Adam  had  no  intention — of  making  his  reverence ;  so, 

17 


THE  ADVEXTURES  OF  AKBAR 

remembering  the  fine  thing  he  had  done  when  the  lat- 
ter had  been  naughty,  up  went  the  httle  hand  again, 
and  once  more  the  loud,  deep,  baby  voice  said  im- 
periously : 

"Salute!    Slave!  salute!" 

The  words  were  barely  uttered  when  by  pure  chance 
Prince  Askurry's  foot  caught  in  the  ragged  carpet, 
and ? 

And  down  he  came  flat  as  a  pancake  on  the  floor 
in  the  very  lowliest  salute  that  ever  was  made ! 

The  next  moment,  however,  he  sat  up,  half-stunned, 
and  looked  wrathfully  at  his  little  nephew. 

But  Baby  Akbar's  honest  open  face  was  full  of 
grieved  sympathy. 

"Poor,  poor!"  he  said,  shaking  his  quaintl}^  crowned 
head,  "tumbu  down.    Xanna  kiss  it,  make  it  well." 

Prince  Askurry  sat  stupidly  staring  for  a  moment 
or  two.  Then  the  memory  of  many  a  childish  hurt 
cured  by  like  gracious  offer  from  his  father  came  back 
to  him,  making  his  heart  soft.  He  sprang  to  his  feet 
and  w^aved  by  his  councillors  to  cruelty. 

"Go,  my  lords!"  he  cried  fiercely.  "Go  seek  the 
King  who  is  no  true  King  if  ye  will,  and  kill  him.  But 
this  boy  goes  with  me  to  Kandahar ;  the  stuff  of  which 
he  is  made  counts  for  life,  not  for  death." 

Then  with  a  sudden  generous  impulse,  for  he  was  at 
heart  his  father's  son,  he  held  the  hilt  of  his  drawn 
sword  in  token  of  vassalage  for  Baby  Akbar  to  touch. 
18 


THE  FIRST  VICTORY 

And  the  child,  clever,  observant  beyond  his  years, 
remembering  how  his  mother  had  guided  his  fingers  to 
Old  Faithful's  weapon,  put  out  his  little  hand 
solemnly  and  touched  it. 

Behind  their  close-folded  veils  Head-nurse  and 
Wet-nurse  wept  for  joy.  And  the  old  trooper's  grip 
relaxed  and  the  hard  relentless  look  faded  from  Roy's 
face. 

For  here  was  safety,  for  a  while  at  any  rate,  for  the 
Heir-to-Empire. 

He,  and  Fate  between  them,  had  won  his  first  vic- 
tory. No !  his  second,  since  the  first  had  been  the  con- 
quering of  Adam's  obstinacy. 

But  for  that  Baby  Akbar  might  not  have  behaved 
with  such  dignity. 


19 


CHAPTER  III 

THE  ROYAL  UMBRELLA 

That  night  even  Roy  the  Rajput,  who  as  a  rule 
woke  every  hour  to  see  to  his  httle  master's  safety, 
slept  sound.  And  so  did  the  others,  though  they  sat 
up  till  Foster-father  crept  in  to  the  tent  about  mid- 
night, after  having  seen  the  Royal  Fugitives  safely 
over  the  Persian  border.  Of  course,  there  was  nothing 
but  miles  on  miles  of  snowy  mountains  before  them, 
nothing  but  long  struggle  and  privation  to  be  hoped 
for;  still  they  were  out  of  India,  out  of  an  enemy's 
country.    For  which  Heaven  be  thanked! 

So  they  wrapped  themselves  in  their  quilts  and  lay 
down  to  rest  with  hearts  eased  for  the  time  of  im- 
mediate anxiety. 

Head-nurse,  however,  began  at  once,  after  her  wont, 
to  make  plans  for  resuming  some  of  the  courtly  ways 
which  hurry  had  made  impossible.  The  gold  embroid- 
ered royal  red  umbrella  w^as  one  thing  she  was  deter- 
mined to  have. 

But  w^ho  was  to  hold  it  over  the  Royal  Infant?  Roy 
would  get  tired  of  it  during  a  long  march.  He  was 
but  a  boy;  and  after  all  there  should  be  a  Deputy, 
Assistant,  Second,  Umbrella  Bearer  to  INIajesty. 

Could  ]\Ieroo,  properly  dressed,  of  course,  be  pro- 
moted to  the  position? 
20 


THE  ROYAL  UMBRELLA 

She  actually  woke  Foster-father  from  his  well- 
earned  first  sleep  to  propound  this  knotty  question. 

"Good  woman,"  he  murmured  patiently,  "make 
what  court  appointments  ye  will.  Create  the  scullion 
Prime  Minister,  so  I  have  my  sleep." 

And  he  was  snoring  almost  before  the  words  were 
out  of  his  mouth. 

So  next  morning  Head-nurse,  refusing  the  baggage 
camel  with  panniers  which  Prince  Askurry  sent  for 
the  use  of  the  little  Heir-to-Empire,  organised  a  pro- 
cession of  her  own. 

First  of  all  came  Foster-father,  stout  and  solid,  on 
his  skew-bald  hill  pony  which  was  called  Horse-chest- 
nut because  it  was  patched  all  over,  like  an  unripe 
chestnut,  with  yellow,  brown  and  white. 

It  had  a  lovely  tail  that  touched  the  ground,  and  a 
coat  that  was  long  and  wavy  like  an  Irish  setter's.  A 
wise,  sober  pony  was  Horse-chestnut;  he  never  at- 
tempted to  climb  up  anything  he  thought  too  difficult, 
but  just  gave  a  look  at  it  to  make  sure  and  then  put 
down  his  head  calmly,  and  began  to  graze  until  his 
rider  found  an  easier  path. 

Next  came  Trooper  Faithful  on  his  old  white 
charger  Lightning.  Once  upon  a  time  it  had  been 
like  its  name,  swift  exceedingly,  but  now,  like  its  mas- 
ter, it  was  slow  and  stiff. 

Then  followed  Head-nurse,  astride,  in  Indian  fash- 
ion, the  bay  Belooch  mare  which  had  been  Queen 

21 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

Ilumeeda's  favourite  mount  until  it  had  had  to  be  left 
behind  in  one  of  the  hasty  moves  which  had  of  late 
been  so  common  in  the  hunted  life  of  the  Royal  Fugi- 
tives. The  mare,  of  course,  had  been  taken  by  the 
pursuers,  and  brought  along  with  them;  and  the 
groom  in  charge  of  it  had  come  grinning  with  delight 
to  Foster-father  when  he  found  himself  in  the  same 
camj)  again.  Foster-father  was  for  riding  the  bay 
mare  himself  and  giving  sober  Horse-chestnut  to  the 
Heir-to-Empire,  but  Head-nurse  would  not  hear  of 
this.  The  bay  mare  was,  she  said,  altogether  more 
royal.  So  there  she  was,  with  Baby  Akbar  astride 
a  cushion  in  front,  perched  on  the  skittish  creature, 
feeling  at  heart  very  nervous,  for  she  was  but  a  poor 
rider.  However,  she  held  on  very  tight  with  one  hand, 
held  Baby  Akbar  still  tighter  with  the  other,  and 
trusted  to  Providence,  while  Roy  and  JNIeroo  ran  be- 
side her  on  either  side,  alternately  holding  up  the 
Royal  Umbrella  as  best  they  could. 

Foster-mother  on  a  mule,  with  little  Adam  perched 
in  front  of  her  brought  up  the  rear  of  the  procession. 
It  w^as  a  poor  one  for  progress  even  along  the  levels, 
because  of  the  bay  mare's  fidgeting  and  caperings, 
but  when  the  steep  hill  sides  were  reached  it  became 
impossible  to  keep  up  w^ith  the  rest  of  the  equipage. 
So  Prince  Askurry  and  his  men  pushed  on  ahead 
leaving  the  little  party  alone,  since  escape  was  im- 
possible on  that  wild  mountain  road,  especially  with 


22 


THE  ROYAL  UMBRELLA 

the  rear  guard  of  the  camp  coming  a  few  miles  behind 
them.    And,  indeed,  if  such  an  idea  had  entered  the 
heads  of  any  of  the  party  it  must  soon  have  fled  be- 
fore the  difficulty  of  getting  along  at  all.     It  was  a 
steep  zigzag  path,  and  looking  upwards  you  could  see 
it  zigging  and  zagging  right  away  to  the  sky  line. 
Poor  Foster-mother,  who  came  last,  could  not  take 
her  eyes  off  it,  for  the  bends  immediately  above  her 
were  filled  with  the  most  terrifying  sights.    First  her 
stout  husband,  who  seemed  to  be  in  the  act  of  slipping 
over  Horse-chestnut's  tail.     On  the  next  Old  Faith- 
ful, driven  to  dismounting  and  laboriously  lugging 
Lightning  up  by  the  bridle.    But  the  last  zig-zag  in 
front  of  her  called  forth  piercing  shrieks.     For  the 
bay  mare,  not  having  been  ridden  for  some  time,  was 
full  of  beans.     Baby  Akbar  insisted  on  holding  the 
reins,  and  Meroo,  whose  turn  it  was  to  hold  the  um- 
brella,   would   slip   and   slither   among    the    stones, 
thereby  bringing  its  fringe  right  on  the  bay  mare's 
nose. 

"Oh !  Head-nurse,  have  a  care !  The  blessed  child !" 
shrieked  poor  Foster-mother  as  a  more  than  usually 
bad  stumble  sent  the  umbrella  on  to  the  mare's 
tail. 

This  was  too  much  for  it.  Frightened  out  of  its 
senses,  it  gave  a  frenzied  bound  forwards,  then  rear- 
ing straight  up,  hung  over  the  edge  of  the  path,  as  if 
it  meant  to  take  a  downward  plunge. 

23 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

All  seemed  lost!  Foster-father  and  Faithful  stood 
petrified  with  despair.  ]\Ieroo  would  have  dashed  for- 
ward to  catch  at  the  rein  hut  Roj^,  knowing  with  that 
curious  instinct  of  his,  that  that  would  only  make 
matters  worse,  as  it  would  still  further  frighten  the 
mare,  held  him  hack  hy  niain  force.  The  only  person 
who  was  not  spellbound  with  fear  was  Baby  Akbar. 
He  thought  it  a  fine  joke  that  his  mount  should  stand 
up  on  its  hind  legs  and  paw  the  air.  So  he  shrieked 
with  delight,  and  dropped  the  reins  to  clap  his  hands, 
as  he  always  did  when  he  was  pleased.  Now  this  w^as 
the  very  best  thing  he,  or  anybody  else,  could  have 
done.  The  mare,  feeling  herself  free,  thought  better 
of  it,  and  wheeling  round  dropped  her  fore  feet  on 
the  path  once  more. 

Foster-father's  loud  Arabic  thanksgiving  ended  in 
an  equally  loud  order.  *'Get  off  the  mare;  woman. 
Horse-chestnut  is  the  only  mount  thou  art  fit  for. 
Roy!  carry  that  foolish  umbrella  behind." 

*'In  front — the  emblems  are  ever  carried  in  front," 
protested  Head-nurse  feebly. 

"I  said  behind,"  was  all  the  answer  she  got,  and 
behind  it  went  while  they  toiled  up  and  up. 

After  a  while  the  road  became  surprisingly  bad; 
nothing  in  fact  but  a  w\atercourse,  and  Foster-father 
began  to  doubt  if  they  could  be  on  the  right  way. 
Possibly,  when  they  were  all  excited  over  the  mare's 
bad  behaviour,  they  had  taken  a  wrong  turning.  But 
24 


THE  ROYAL  UMBRELLA 

as  the  path  led  ever  upwards,  he  judged  it  better  to 
go  on,  though  it  was  terribly  hard  work.  Every  mo- 
ment the  road  became  worse  and  worse  until  it  ceased 
to  be  more  than  a  mere  ladder  of  rocks  which  puzzled 
even  Horse-chestnut.  More  than  once  he  stopped 
dead  and  would  no  doubt  have  refused  any  further 
attempt  to  climb  had  there  been  anything  at  which 
to  graze.  But  there  was  nothing;  nothing  but  rocks. 
So,  after  a  pause  he  made  the  best  of  a  bad  bargain, 
raised  himself  on  his  hind  legs,  sought  a  foothold  for 
his  fore  feet  in  some  crevice,  and  then  scrambled  up. 
Only  the  two  children  enjoyed  themselves.  Baby  Ak- 
bar  laughing  with  delight  and  clapping  his  hands  over 
all  the  slips  and  slitherings  which  even  nimble  Horse- 
chestnut  made,  and  which  reduced  Head-nurse  and 
Wet-nurse  to  piteous  wails  to  Roy  not  for  Heaven's 
sake  to  let  go  of  the  Heir-to-Empire's  baggy  trous- 
ers. And  Adam  enjoyed  himself,  also,  running  on  in 
front  and  making  snowballs  in  the  drifts  which,  ere 
long,  were  to  be  seen  sheltering  from  the  sun  in  the 
clefts  of  the  rocks. 

The  sight  of  them  made  Foster-father  frown.  "We 
go  too  high,"  he  said.  "Heaven  send  we  have  not  to 
climb  to  a  higher  pass." 

His  remark  made  Head-nurse  give  way  altogether. 
She  wept  loudly,  saying  in  that  case  she  had  better 
stay  and  die  where  she  was,  thus  saving  them  the 
trouble  of  carrying  her  down  the  hill. 

25 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

At  that  very  moment,  however,  Adam  who  had  run 
far  ahead  hegan  waving  his  arms  and  shouting: 

"He  says  'The  top!  the  top!'  "  cried  Roy,  who  was 
keen  in  hearing  as  in  everything  else.  "Courage, 
mother!  our  troubles  are  over!" 

They  had  not  quite  ended,  but  in  a  few  minutes 
more  they  had  reached  the  beginning  of  the  pass 
proper.  Before  them  lay  a  grassy  boggy  slope  curl- 
ing gently  upwards  between  higher  rockier  slopes.  A 
little  stream  plashed  softly  adown  it,  through  a  per- 
fect wilderness  of  flowers,  and  without  one  word  the 
tired  travellers  threw  themselves  beside  it  for  rest  and 
refreshment. 

But  Baby  Akbar  looked  a  little  troubled. 

"Amma,  Dadda  'way  'way  in  a  'ky,"  he  said 
solemnly,  and  essayed  to  crawl  on  over  the  grass.  For 
he  could  not  walk  yet,  though  he  spoke  so  well.  They 
say  he  began  to  talk  when  he  was  nine  months  old. 


26 


CHAPTER  IV 

TUMBU-DOWN 

After  a  while  the  party  started  on  their  way  once 
more  feehng  greatly  brisked  up.  But  the  heat  of 
the  day  was  now  upon  them,  and  though  the  snow  lay 
close  beside  the  path,  the  fierce  sun  melting  it  made 
the  vapour  rise  and  turned  the  narrow  valley  into  a 
regular  steam  bath. 

The  perspiration  ran  down  the  travellers'  faces  and 
especially  down  poor  Head-nurse's;  for  she  had  in- 
sisted on  taking  off  her  veil  to  twist  it  turbanwise 
round  Baby  Akbar's  head  since  the  Royal  Umbrella 
was  forbidden.  Foster-mother  had  tried  to  take  off 
hers  also,  but  Head-nurse  had  angrily  forbidden  her 
to  do  any  such  thing.  If  she,  Head-nurse,  died  of 
sunstroke  what  matter,  but  if  Foster-mother  failed, 
what — even  though  one  back  tooth  had  been  glori- 
ously cut — would  become  of  the  Heir-to-Empire,  the 
Admired-of -the- World,  the  Great-in-Pomp,  etc.? 

So,  to  comfort  herself  she  went  on  mumbling  titles 
as  she  struggled  along,  the  sun  beating  fiercely  on  her 
bare  head.  Such  a  quaint  head,  with  sleek  black  hair 
parted  and  plaited  and  hung  with  jewels,  even  down 
the  long  pigtail  of  brown  wool  that  was  added  on  to 
the  back  to  make  the  hair  look  more  plentiful. 

It  was  a  piteous  sight  and  Foster-mother  was  so 

27 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

conscious  of  the  devotion  it  meant  that  she  said  'Xol 
Head-nurse,  thou  art  a  good,  good  soul  though  a  hard 
one  to  me;  hut  I  will  never,  never,  never,  forget  this 
day." 

"Xor  I,"  groaned  Head-nurse,  "but  'tis  for  the 
Heir-to-Empire." 

It  was  a  full  hour  before  the  slope  ended  in  a  level 
bog,  on  the  other  side  of  which  began  a  visible  descent. 
Then  in  the  angled  hills  a  blue  shadow  began  to  rise, 
telling  of  a  valley  below  them. 

"Bismillah!"  (Thanks  be  to  God)  cried  Foster- 
father  piously.  And  every  one  echoed  the  remark  ex- 
cept Baby  Akbar.  He  turned  round  and  looked  back 
at  the  sno^v}^  peaks  which  were  beginning  to  show 
behind  them. 

"Amma,  Dadda  'way  'way  mountains,"  he  said  re- 
gretfully and  his  little  mouth  went  down  as  for  a  cry, 
when  everybody's  attention  was  distracted  by  the  sud- 
den appearance  of  a  huge  furry  black  dog  which  came 
bounding  down  the  hill  side,  its  big  white  teeth  gleam^- 
ing  as  it  uttered  shrill,  sharp,  growling  barks. 

Head-nurse  and  Foster-mother  shrieked  with 
fright,  little  Adam  ran  like  a  hare  for  the  shelter  of 
his  mother's  petticoats,  and  Meroo  the  cook-boy,  re- 
membering his  bare  legs — for  like  all  Indian  scullions 
he  wore  short  cotton  drawers — squatted  down  where 
he  was  standing,  in  order  to  protect  them.  Even  Roy, 
brave  boy  that  he  was,  looked  uncomfortable,  and  both 
28 


TUIMBU-DOWN 

Foster-father  and  Old  Faithful  whipped  out  their 
swords. 

These  were  not  needed,  however,  for  the  next  in- 
stant a  wild-looking  figure  clad  in  a  brown  blanket 
started  up  from  behind  a  rock  and  shouted  to  the  dog. 
It  stopped  instantly,  but  stood  still — snarling,  though 
obedient. 

It  was  the  funniest  looking  dog  you  can  imagine. 
Bigger  than  a  big  collie,  it  was  furry  all  over  even  to 
its  tail.  And  it  was  black  as  ink.  In  fact  with  its 
tiny  prick  ears  and  small  sharp  pointed  muzzle  all 
lost  in  a  huge  soft  black  ruff  and  nothing  to  be  seen 
but  red  tongue,  white  teeth  and  beady  black  eyes,  it 
was  a  regular  golliwog  of  a  dog. 

When  Foster-father  saw  the  man  in  the  brown 
blanket,  who  from  his  crook  was  evidently  a  shep- 
herd, he  heaved  a  sigh  of  relief.  "Now,"  he  said,  "we 
shall  be  able  to  find  out  our  way." 

But  he  was  mistaken.  The  man  did  not  understand 
a  word  they  said,  neither  could  they  understand  a  word 
he  said. 

Head-nurse  was  in  despair.  "He  speaks  like  a 
ghost  of  the  desert,"  she  wept.  "We  shall  all  die  of 
starvation  before  he  understands." 

"Die?"  echoed  Foster-father  stoutly.  "Not  so, 
woman!    There  is  one  language  all  understand." 

Whereupon  he  placed  himself  right  in  front  of  the 
shepherd,  opened  his  mouth  wide  and  then  shook  his 

29 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

head.  Next  he  pointed  to  his  stomach  and  shook  his 
head  again.  Finally  he  began  to  chew  violently, 
rubbed  his  stomach  and  grinned. 

The  shepherd  grinned  too  and  rubbed  his  stomach, 
whereupon  Foster-father  turned  triumphantly  to 
Head-nurse. 

''Said  I  not  sooth,  woman,"  he  asked.  "Hunger 
hath  a  tongue  of  its  own,  and  all  men  know  it." 

Once  begun,  signs  soon  brought  so  much  under- 
standing, that,  whistling  to  his  dog,  the  shepherd 
started  down  the  hill  at  a  great  pace,  beckoning  them 
to  follow. 

"Not  so  fast,  friend,  not  so  fast!"  panted  Foster- 
father,  "we  be  not  all  born  on  a  mountain  as  thou 
art.  And  there  are  women  and  children,  too."  He 
pointed  to  poor  Head-nurse  and  Foster-mother,  who 
were  indeed  dropping  with  fatigue,  and  the  man 
seemed  to  understand,  for  he  pulled  up.  But  he  had 
to  keep  some  way  off  because  his  dog,  who  kept  close 
as  a  shadow  to  his  master's  heels,  never  ceased  growl- 
ing. So  they  tramped  on  wearily  until  just  below 
them  they  saw  a  marg  or  mountain  upland,  where 
some  goats  were  grazing.  One  part  of  this  dipped 
do^vn  into  a  little  valley,  and  there,  in  the  shelter  of 
some  huge  rocks,  they  saw  two  or  three  small  brown 
blanket  tents,  such  as  shepherds  use  on  the  Beluchis- 
tan  hills.  They  were  just  like  waggon  tilts  only  not 
so  large. 
30 


TUMBU-DOWN 

Here,  at  any  rate,  was  prospect  of  food  and  rest, 
and  the  poor  travellers  brisked  up  again.  But  alasl 
between  them  and  the  tents  lay  a  formidable  obstacle. 
Nothing  less  than  a  birch-twig  bridge  over  a  rushing 
stream  which  filled  up  the  bottom  of  a  wide  rift  or 
chasm  in  the  upland.  This  chasm  stretched  right 
across  the  upland  from  a  steep  rock  which  blocked  up 
the  head  of  the  little  valley,  and  out  of  which  the 
stream  gushed,  and  there  was  no  way  of  crossing  it, 
so  the  shepherd  explained  by  signs,  except  the  birch- 
twig  bridge.  Now  a  birch-twig  bridge  is  a  very  terri- 
fying thing  to  anybody  who  is  not  accustomed  to 
them.  It  is  simply  a  strong  flat  plait  of  birch  twigs 
about  nine  inches  wide  which  is  flung  from  one  side  to 
the  other,  and  which,  of  course,  droops  and  sags  like 
a  rope  in  the  middle.  Into  this  plait  are  stuck  every 
few  feet  or  so  cross  sticks,  and  to  these  sticks  a  rope 
is  fastened  as  a  sort  of  hand  rail.  Across  such  a 
bridge  as  this  the  hill  children  walk  as  easily  as  an 
English  child  does  over  a  great  brick  span ;  but  Head- 
nurse  resolutely  refused  to  set  foot  over  it  herself, 
much  less  to  allow  the  Heir-to-Empire  to  risk  his  neck 
on  such  an  appallingly  dangerous  structure.  In  vain 
Foster-father,  in  order  to  set  a  good  example,  allowed 
himself  to  be  led  over  by  the  shepherd  with  his  eyes 
carefully  bandaged  lest  he  should  get  giddy  in  the 
middle  by  looking  down.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  this 
only   made    Head-nurse   more    frightened,    for,    of 

81 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

course,  the  bridge  swung  and  swayed  with  the  weight 
of  the  men  on  it.  She  would  sooner,  she  declared, 
try  to  climb  Heaven  on  a  rainbow!  That  was 
at  least  steady.  Roy  tried  to  hearten  her  up  by 
walking  over  himself  with  open  eyes,  though  he 
felt  frightfully  dizzy  and  had  to  fling  himself 
flat  on  the  grass  to  recover  when  he  did  get  over. 
Then  JNIeroo,  blubbering  loudly  that  he  was 
going  to  his  death  for  his  young  master,  climbed 
up  on  the  shepherd's  back  and  allowed  him- 
self to  be  carried  over  just  to  show  how  easy  it 
was. 

It  was  all  in  vain!  Head-nurse  was  firm.  They 
must  bring  the  tents  to  the  Heir-to-Empire ;  the  Heir- 
to-Empire  should  not  go  across  a  tight  rope  to  the 
tents.  And  there  she  would  have  remained  had  not  a 
great,  tall  burly  woman  with  a  fat  baby  on  her  hip 
come  out  of  one  of  the  tents,  and  grasping  the  po- 
sition, stalked  over  the  bridge  without  even  touching 
the  hand  rail,  caught  Baby  Akbar  from  Foster- 
mother,  who  was  too  taken  aback  to  resist,  set  him  on 
her  other  hip  and  calmly  stalked  back  again,  leaving 
the  two  women  too  surprised  and  horrified  even  to 
scream. 

But  when  they  saw  the  Heir-to-Empire  safe  on  the 
other  side,  they  consented  to  be  carried  across  pick-a- 
back. 

So  there  they  were  before  long  eating  goats'  milk 
32 


TUMBU-DOWN 

cheese  fried  like  a  beefsteak  and  drinking  long 
draughts  of  a  sort  of  sour  milk. 

One  of  the  shepherds  could  speak  a  little  Persian, 
and  from  him  Foster-father,  to  his  great  relief, 
learned  that  Prince  Askurry's  camp  was  only  a  mile  or 
two  down  the  valley,  so,  feeling  certain  of  being  able 
to  reach  it  before  sundown,  he  called  a  halt,  and  they 
all  lay  down  to  rest  in  one  of  the  tents,  Baby  Akbar 
between  his  two  nurses  for  safety  sake.  For  one  could 
never  tell.  Head-nurse  remarked,  what  might  happen 
amongst  people  who  spoke  the  language  of  ghosts  in 
the  desert,  and  kept  such  strange  animals.  A  great 
golliwog  of  a  black  dog  who  sat  on  one  side  of  the 
tent  like  an  image,  watching  them  as  if  he  meant  to 
eat  them,  and  a  great  fluff  of  a  white  cat  sitting  on 
the  other  with  her  eyes  shut  as  if  she  did  not  want 
to  watch  them. 

No!  Indeed  it  was  impossible  to  tell  what  might 
not  happen! 

And  that  is  exactly  how  it  turned  out.  What  really 
did  happen  no  one  knew.  It  was  Foster-mother  who, 
waking  first,  let  loose  a  shriek  while  still  half  awake. 
This  roused  Head-nurse,  who  let  loose  another.  For 
Baby  Akbar  was  no  longer  between  them.  The  Heir- 
to-Empire  had  gone — had  disappeared — was  not  to 
be  found! 

Roy  was  out  of  the  tent  in  a  second,  treading  in 
his  haste  on  Meroo,  who  was  sleeping  outside,  and  who 

33 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

began  to  howl  confusedly.  Old  Faithful  fumbled  for 
his  sword,  Foster-father  rubbed  his  ej^es  as  if  tliey 
must  be  at  fault. 

But  there  was  no  Baby!  And  what  is  more,  both 
the  black  dog  and  the  white  cat  had  disappeared  also ; 
at  least  they  were  no  longer  on  the  watch. 

Never  was  there  such  a  commotion.  The  rocks  re- 
sounded with  cries  and  every  one  searched  every- 
where ;  even  in  the  great  tall  basket  panniers  in  which 
hill  shepherds  carry  their  goods  and  chattels. 

But  not  one  sign  of  the  little  fellow  was  to  be  found, 
until — horribly,  dreadfully,  near  to  that  awful  birch- 
twig  bridge — Foster-mother  seized  on  a  tiny  gold-em- 
broidered skull  cap  that  was  lying  on  the  grass. 

"It  is  his !"  she  sobbed,  "it  is  m}^  darling's !  He  hath 
tried  to  get  to  the  mountains  to  his  Amma,  and  he 
hath  fallen  from  that  accursed  cats'  cradle.  He  is 
dead!    He  is  killed!" 

Every  face,  except  the  shepherds',  who  did  not,  of 
course,  understand  what  was  said,  turned  pale.  It 
was  indeed  possible,  perhaps  probable,  that  the  faith- 
ful little  soul,  who  remembered  when  others  forgot, 
had  tried 

It  was  a  terrible  thought.  But  the  shepherds,  see- 
ing the  cap,  at  once  whistled  to  their  dog,  and  the  one 
who  spoke  Persian  explained  that  if  it  were  shown  the 
cap  it  would  take  up  the  track  of  the  child  at  once. 

But  though  they  whistled  and  whistled  no  dog  came. 
84 


TUMBU-DOWN 

Then  the  shepherds  began  to  look  grave  and  mutter 
among  themselves. 

"What  are  they  saying?  What  gibberish  are  they 
talking?"  shrilled  poor  Head-nurse,  trying  to  keep 
hope  alive  by  being  angry.  The  man  who  spoke  Per- 
sian looked  at  her  cheerfully. 

"Only  that  perhaps  the  dog  has  eaten  the  child. 
We  keep  it  hungry  that  it  may  chase  the  wild  ani- 
mals." 

This  was  too  much  for  the  womankind.  They 
simply  rent  the  air  with  heartbroken  sobs. 

But  Foster-father,  grave  and  silent,  would  not  give 
up  hope.  Every  foot  of  the  ravine  must  be  searched, 
first  downwards,  as,  had  the  child  really  fallen  into 
the  stream  it  must  have  been  carried  with  it.  Then  as 
a  last  forlorn  hope  upwards.  So,  peering  down  care- 
fully from  either  side,  they  traced  the  ravine  till,  grad- 
ually becoming  shallower,  less  steep,  it  merged  into 
the  grassy  valley.  But  there  was  no  sign.  Then  sadly 
they  commenced  their  upward  search,  until  they  were 
close  to  the  high  cliff  whence  the  stream  gushed 
out.  Here  they  found  that  the  ravine  was  wider, 
and  at  the  bottom  of  it  a  patch  of  sand  and  boulders 
showed  that  there  was  foothold  beside  the  roaring 
torrent. 

"I  will  climb  down  and  see  if  there  is  aught,"  said 
Roy;  "it  is  easier  here — if  he  had  fallen  here,  he 
might — "  the  tears  in  his  voice  prevented  more,  as  he 

35 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

tucked  up  his  garments  preparatory  to  the  difficult 
descent. 

But  the  shepherds  raised  an  urgent  outcr3\  There 
was  a  demon  in  the  cavern,  they  said,  whence  the 
water  came.  There  was  no  use  angering  it,  no  use  in 
losing  another  life. 

Roy  struggled  madly  in  their  detaining  hands,  but 
Old  Faithful  and  Foster-father  looked  at  each  other. 
Whether  there  was  a  demon  or  not  it  was  a  risk  to 
another  life  and  that  should  not  be  a  young  one. 

"Xo,  boy !"  said  the  old  warrior  stoutly.  "This  is  my 
task,  not  thine.  I  am  good  swordsman  to  begin  with, 
and  demons — if  there  be  any — like  not  a  clean  sword 
tlii'ust.  Also  I  have  been  pilgrim  to  Hoty  Mecca  and 
demons — if  there  be  any — like  not  pilgrims'  flesh." 

So,  muttering  praj^ers  and  holding  his  drawn  sword 
in  his  teeth,  since  both  hands  were  needed  for  the 
parlous  descent,  he  commenced  his  task  while  the 
others  watched  him  eagerly. 

About  half  way  down  he  paused,  looked  up  and 
called  back;  but  they  could  not  hear  what  he  said. 

"Take  thy  sword  out  of  thy  mouth,  man,"  shrieked 
Head-nurse  almost  beside  herself  with  grief  and  rage ; 
"it  isn't  manners  to  speak  with  the  mouth  full." 

True  enough,  but  Old  Faithful  had  some  difficulty 
in  obeying  orders.     However,  he  managed  to  steady 
himself  for  a  moment  on  his  two  feet;  so  sword  in 
hand  he  bawled  back. 
36 


TUMBU-DOWN 

"'Tistruel  There  i^  a  demon.  It  growls.  I  hear 
it  plainly.  Farewell!  I  go  on,  secure  in  my  sword 
and  Holy " 

Here  a  foot  slipped  and  he  went  sliding,  slithering, 
slipping  down  to  the  bottom  where,  happily  only 
bruised,  he  sat  half-stunned  staring  in  front  of  him. 

And  then  there  echoed  up  to  the  listeners  the  most 
terrible  barking,  and  yelping,  and  growling,  and 
spitting,  that  ever  was  heard! 

"The  demon!  The  demon!"  yelled  the  shepherds 
in  terror,  and  ran  for  their  lives. 

But  Roy,  ear  over  the  chif,hstened  for  a  second,  and 
the  next  had  followed  Old  Faithful.  Foster-father 
was  not  long  behind  him,  and  Meroo  was  close  on  his 
heels.  Foster-mother  and  Head-nurse  were  not  to  be 
left  out,  and  somehow  they  all  managed  to  get  down 
in  safety. 

And  then  they  all  stood  and  sat  silent  and  agape 
with  surprise  and  delight. 

For  what  they  saw  was  this.  A  low  cavern  in  the 
rock,  and  on  a  shelving  bank  of  dry  sand  Baby  Akbar 
sitting  up  and  rubbing  his  eyes,  while  on  one  side  of 
him  was  the  golliwog  of  a  black  dog,  his  fur  all  brist- 
ling, his  white  teeth  gleaming  as  he  filled  the  air  with 
furious  barks;  while  on  the  other  was  the  white  fluff 
of  a  cat,  her  back  arched,  her  tail  the  size  of  two,  spit- 
ting and  growling  fiercely. 

How  had  he  got  there?     Foster-father  looked  at 

87 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

Foster-mother,  Head-nurse  looked  at  Old  Faithful, 
and  Roy  looked  at  Meroo,  and  they  all  looked  at  each 
other. 

But  Bahy  Akbar  only  put  out  one  fat  hand  towards 
the  black  dog  and  said  "Tumbu,"  and  the  other  fat 
hand  towards  the  cat  and  said  "Down,"  and  that  was 
all  he  would  say. 

He  had  tumbled  down ;  but  how,  when,  and  where, 
and  how  the  dog  and  the  cat  came  to  be  with  him  no 
one  ever  knew  from  that  day  to  this. 


38 


CHAPTER  V 

ON  THE  ROAD 

Naturally  when,  after  an  uneventful  journey 
with  the  shepherd  as  guide,  they  reached  Prince 
Askurry's  camp  that  evening,  they  came  to  talk  over 
the  incident.  Foster-father  was  not  sparing  of  Head- 
nurse.  The  whole  tissue  of  misfortunes,  which  had 
ended  in  Baby  Akbar  so  nearly  losing  his  life — and 
that  he  had  been  spared  was  simply  a  miracle — arose 
from  her  insisting  on  a  Royal  Procession.  But  for 
that,  both  she  and  the  child  would  have  gone  com- 
fortably on  a  camel.  They  would  have  kept  up  with 
the  other  baggage  animals  and  none  of  the  distressful 
events  would  have  happened.  It  should  not,  how- 
ever, happen  again.  Of  course.  Head-nurse  tried  to 
brazen  it  out  and  assert  that  the  Heir-to-Empire 
could  always  count  on  a  miracle  in  his  favour;  but  in 
her  heart-of -hearts  she  knew  that  Foster-father  was 
right. 

So  next  morning  she  said  nothing  when  she  saw  a 
camel  with  tw^o  panniers  kneeling  in  front  of  the  tent, 
ready  for  its  load.  That  had  to  be  endured,  but  she 
revenged  herself  by  objecting  to  the  black  dog  and  the 
white  cat,  who  sat  expectantly  one  on  either  side,  evi- 
dently prepared  for  a  start. 

"Whose  are  those  uncouth  beasts?"  she  asked  of 

39 


THE  ADVEXTURES  OF  AKBAR 

Roy  angrily.  "Did  I  not  tell  those  ghosts  of  the  des- 
ert who  call  themselves  shepherds  to  remove  them  last 
night  ?  Why  have  they  come  back  ?  Take  them  away  I 
Catch  them !  Tie  them  up !  Such  mean  born  animals 
have  no  right  to  attend  the  j\Iighty-in-Pomp,  the 
Lord-of-Light,"  etc.,  etc. 

She  rolled  out  the  titles  sonorously,  determined  that 
if  she  was  docked  of  dignity  in  one  way  she  w^ould 
have  it  in  another. 

Now  it  was  not  very  hard  to  catch  the  big  black 
golliwog  of  a  dog,  even  though  he  did  snarl  and  snap 
and  try  to  bite.  There  were  a  lot  of  camp  followers 
who  were  only  too  glad  to  have  the  amusement  of 
capturing  him,  so,  after  a  very  short  space  poor 
"Tumbu,"  for  Baby  Akbar  insisted  on  calHng  him 
so,  was  being  dragged  off  at  the  end  of  a  long  rope  to 
his  masters  the  shepherds,  looking  very  sad,  with  his 
tail  between  his  legs. 

But  it  was  quite  different  with  "Down,"  the  cat. 
She  had  made  up  her  mind  to  stay  where  she  was,  and 
it  is  very  hard,  indeed,  to  make  a  cat  change  its  mind 
when  it  is  once  made  up. 

So  she  moved  about  gently,  from  one  place  to  the 
other,  purring  softly  and  looking  as  mild  as  milk,  her 
blue  eye — for  real  Persian  cats  often  have  their  eyes 
of  different  colours  and  one  of  them  is  always  blue — 
ever  so  friendly,  as  if  she  were  just  longing  to  be 
picked  up.  Only  the  very  tip  of  her  bushy  tail  swayed 
40 


ON  THE  ROAD 

a  little,  and  that  is  a  sure  sign  that  a  cat  is  contrary. 
And  contrary  Down  was.  The  very  instant  any  one 
tried  to  pick  her  up — why!  she  was  somewhere 
else! 

Head-nurse  ere  long  joined  in  the  chase,  saying  all 
the  rest  didn't  understand  cats.  But  she  soon  lost 
patience  and  declaring  that  she  had  never  been  done 
by  a  dumb  animal  yet,  started  capture  by  force.  A 
circle  was  formed  round  the  point  where  Down  sat 
blinking  in  the  sunlight,  and  shawls  and  veils  were 
held  up  to  make  it  complete.  Then  step  by  step  they 
advanced  towards  the  cat,  who,  in  truth,  viewed  the 
enclosing  wall  with  polite  indifference.  It  was  really 
rather  a  funny  sight  to  see  stout  Head-nurse  without 
her  veil  tip-toeing  in  line  towards  pussy  and  shrilling 
out  her  orders  to  the  others  to  close  in  and  be  sure  to 
leave  no  loopholes.  Step  by  step  her  voice  became 
more  and  more  triumphant,  and  it  really  seemed  as  if 
the  cat  must  be  caught  this  time,  for  Down  sat  sweetly 
purring  until  she  was  actually  hidden  from  sight  be- 
hind the  high-held  screening  cloths. 

"Now  then!  quick!"  shrilled  Head-nurse.  "Close 
in — close " 

But  her  order  ended  in  a  scream  of  fright,  for  there 
was  pussy  in  one  flying  leap  on  her  bare  head,  scrab- 
bling up  her  scanty  hair,  and  with  another  away  up 
the  hillside  leaving  nothing  but  claw-marks  behind 

her! 

41 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

Head-nurse  wept  with  angry  tears;  but  Foster- 
father,  always  sensible,  said  "Enough!  cry  on  the 
camel  if  you  will,  but  now  is  the  time  to  slip  away  be- 
fore the  obstinate  animal  can  return." 

There  was  wisdom  in  this;  therefore  Head-nurse 
composed  herself  comfortably  in  one  pannier  while 
Foster-mother,  who  was  lighter,  settled  into  the  other 
with  Baby  Akbar.  So  off  they  set  at  the  dignified 
lollop  which  camels  affect,  and  Head-nurse  began  to 
congratulate  herself  on  having  successfully  evaded  the 
"uncouth  beasts." 

But  there  is  no  counting  on  cats.  If  they  are  here 
one  moment  and  gone  the  next,  they  are  also  gone  one 
moment  and  here  the  next.  So,  as  the  camel  was  pass- 
ing under  a  thorn  tree  about  half  a  mile  out  from 
camp,  a  great  fluff  of  white  hair  sprang  from  the 
branches  and  landed  right  in  Head-nurse's  broad  lap. 
And  there  was  Mistress  Down  looking  as  if  butter 
wouldn't  melt  in  her  mouth,  and  purring  away  like  a 
kettle  on  the  boil. 

Head-nurse  gave  in  altogetlier  then.  "When  a  cat 
really  makes  up  its  mind,"  she  said  with  forced  wis- 
dom, "it  is  little  use  any  one  else  making  up  theirs!" 

So  pussy  sat  in  her  lap,  and  after  a  while  the 
warmth  of  the  pretty  creature  and  even  the  very 
roughness  of  the  small  three-cornered  red  tongue  that 
licked  her  hand,  as  half-unconsciously  she  began  to 
stroke  the  long  soft  fur,  made  her  say  suddenly : 
42 


ON  THE  ROAD 

"Who  knows  but  it  is  the  Will  of  the  Creator !  This 
mean-born  thing  may  in  the  future  be  of  use  to  the 
Light-of-the-World,  the  Observed-of-all-Observers," 
etc.,  etc.,  etc. 

And  her  words  were  to  come  true,  for,  as  you  will 
see  by  and  bye,  Down  was  of  great  use  to  her  little 
master.  Nevertheless  when,  at  the  very  next  camping 
ground,  a  great  big  black  golliwog  of  a  dog  with  a 
gnawed  end  of  rope  still  round  his  neck  was  seen 
calmly  awaiting  them  at  the  door  of  the  tent  that  was 
pitched  for  their  reception,  Head-nurse  became  tear- 
ful again  and  said  that  if  Providence  intended  to  send 
all  the  wild  beasts  of  the  field  to  look  after  Baby  Ak- 
bar,  there  was  no  need  for  her ;  so  she  would  give  up 
her  place. 

But  the  little  Prince  himself  was  delighted.  He 
plumped  down  on  the  hot  sand  beside  the  dog  and 
hugged  it,  calling  it  "Dear  Tumbu,"  and  when  the 
white  cat  jealously  rubbed  her  back  against  his  little 
fat  person  he  hugged  her  too  and  called  her  "Darling 
Down." 

"Hark  to  the  Lord-of-the-Universe  giving  his  crea- 
tures names!"  said  Foster-mother  piously.  So  after 
that  everybody  called  the  golliwog  dog  Tumbu,  and 
the  fluffy  cat  Down. 

This  was  the  beginning  of  a  whole  week  on 
camel  back;  a  very  pleasant  week  too,  though  the 
minds    of    the    elders    were    rather    on   the    stretch 

43 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

concerning  the  fate  of  King  Ilumayon  and  Queen 
Humeeda. 

Still  the  sk}^  was  as  hlue  as  blue  could  be,  the  sun 
shone  bright  and  the  air  was  crisp  with  coming  winter. 
Head-nurse  spent  most  of  her  days  dozing  and  mumb- 
ling long  strings  of  titles  in  one  pannier,  while  Down 
slept  and  purred  on  her  lap.  In  the  other  pannier 
were  Foster-mother  and  Baby  Akbar.  The  little  fel- 
low did  not  sleep  much,  but  spent  most  of  his  time 
craning  over  the  pannier  side  to  see  everything  there 
was  to  be  seen.  But  what  amused  him  most  was  to 
watch  Tumbu,  who  would  look  up  and  bark  and  gam- 
bol for  hours  to  attract  his  little  master's  attention. 
Whereat  Down  would  become  impatient  and  come 
over  the  camel's  hump  from  the  other  pannier,  rub 
her  back  against  the  little  Prince  and  watch,  too,  with 
a  sort  of  dignified  contempt.  It  was  the  way  of  dogs 
to  be  loud  and  effusive,  and  gushing;  but  it  didn't 
mean  much.  Tumbu,  for  instance,  despite  his  display 
of  affection,  would  leave  his  post  to  run  after  every 
wild  thing  he  saw;  and  though  he  always  came  back 
to  it,  he  was  so  helplessly  breathless,  with  half  a  yard 
of  red  tongue  hanging  out,  that  he  would  have  been 
little  use  had  an  enemy  turned  up  and  his  protection 
been  needed. 

Cats  were  far  wiser.  They  sat  still  and  watched ;  so 
they  were  always  ready. 

And  one  evening  Down  watched  to  some  purpose. 


ON  THE  ROAD 

Baby  Akbar  was  asleep  on  some  quilts  and  Down,  as 
usual,  lay  keeping  his  feet  warm,  her  eyes  closed,  purr- 
ing away  like  a  steaming  kettle. 

You  would  have  sworn  she  was  half  asleep,  but  in 
a  second  there  was  one  spring,  something  reared  itself 
at  her  to  strike,  but  her  paws  were  too  quick.  One, 
two,  three,  came  the  blows  swiftly  like  boxes  on  the 
ears,  and  there  was  a  snake  squirming  and  helpless  in 
the  dust.  Old  Faithful's  armoured  feet  were  on  its 
head  in  a  second  and  the  danger  was  over. 

''Truly  a  cat  is  a  terrible  thing,"  said  Head-nurse 
in  a  twitter.  "There  is  no  fear  in  them.  The  reptile 
had  not  a  chance." 

But  Down  was  back  on  her  young  master's  feet, 
her  eyes  closed,  purring  away  as  if  nothing  had  hap- 
pened. 

Tumbu  was  in  favour,  however,  next  evening,  but 
for  a  different  cause.  He  appeared  with  a  great  prickly 
porcupine  held  gingerly  in  his  mouth  and  laid  it  be- 
fore Baby  Akbar. 

"Ohi!  Porcupine  for  supper!"  cried  Meroo,  the 
cook  boy,  who  knew  what  a  delicacy  it  was ;  but  Head- 
nurse  shrieked,  "Take  it  away  quick — the  Heir-to- 
Empire  will  prick  himself  with  the  quills  and  they  are 
poisonous.    Take  it  away  at  once,  I  say." 

But  alas!  The  Heir-to-Empire  was  wilful,  like  all 
Eastern  Princelings,  and  he  shrieked  to  match  at  the 
suggestion.    So  there  arose  such  a  hubbub,  which  was 

45 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

oiil}'  calmed  by  Baby  Akbar  being  allowed  to  do  as  he 
chose. 

"Poor!  Poor!"  he  said  as  his  little  hand  touched 
the  sharp  prickles  and  no  one  found  out,  till  Foster- 
mother  came  to  put  him  to  bed,  that  he  really  did 
scratch  himself.  There  was  quite  a  little  runnel  of 
blood  on  the  palm;  but  Akbar,  even  when  he  was  a 
baby,  was  proud.  He  knew  how  to  bear  discomfort 
and  punishment  when  it  was  his  own  fault. 

They  were  all  rather  merry  that  night,  for  they  had 
roast  porcupine  stuffed  with  pistachio  nuts  for  sup- 
per. And  afterward  Roy  sat  by  Baby  Akbar's  pile 
of  quilts  and  sang  him  to  sleep  with  this  royal  lullaby : 

"Baby,  Baby-ling, 
You  are  always  King; 
Always  wear  a  crown, 
Though  you  tumble  down; 
Call  each  thing  your  own, 
Find  each  lap  a  throne; 
Dearest,  sweetest  King, 
Baby!  Baby-ling!" 

When  the  child  had  fallen  asleep  Roy  sat  at  the 
door  of  the  tent  and  looked  at  the  stars,  which  shone, 
as  they  do  in  the  East,  all  colours,  like  jewels  in  the 
velvety  sky.  They  seemed  so  far  away,  but  not  far- 
ther than  he  seemed  to  be  from  himself.  For  Roy's 
head  had  been  dreadfully  confused  bv  that  sunstroke 
46 


ON  THE  ROAD 

in  the  desert.  Only  that  morning  something  had 
seemed  to  come  back  to  him  in  a  flash,  and  he  had  so 
far  f ogotten  he  was  only  a  page  boy  as  to  call  the  little 
Heir-to-Empire  "Brother,"  but  Head-nurse's  cuff 
had  brought  him  back  to  reality  in  double  quick  time. 
And  as  he  sat  there  in  the  dark  he  saw  a  man  creeping 
stealthily  to  the  tent.  He  was  on  his  feet  in  a  moment 
challenging  him. 

"Hush!"  whispered  the  newcomer,  "I  bring  a  mes- 
sage from  King  Humayon.  I  must  see  Foster-father 
at  once." 

The  good  man  was  already  between  the  quilts,  but 
he  got  up  quickly,  and  when  he  had  heard  the  message 
he  sent  for  Head-nurse  and  Foster-mother  and  Old 
Faithful,  for  he  felt  that  a  most  momentous  decision 
had  to  be  made.  Yet  the  message  was  a  very  simple 
one.  Those  in  charge  of  the  child  were  to  creep  away 
that  very  night  with  the  messenger,  who  would  guide 
them  in  safety  to  King  Humayon,  who  had  found  help 
and  shelter  in  Persia. 

Head-nurse  and  Foster-mother  wept  tears  of  joy 
at  the  glad  news,  and  proposed  at  once  that  they 
should  wrap  the  child  in  a  blanket  and  start.  But 
Foster-father  was  more  wary. 

"You  come  as  a  thief  in  the  darkness,"  he  said. 
"Where  is  your  token  from  the  king,  that  I  may  know 
who  you  are?" 

But  there  was  no  token. 

47 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

"Then  the  child  stays  where  he  is,"  asserted  Foster- 
father  holdly.    "Am  I  not  right  oh!  Faithful?" 

"Assuredly  my  lord  is  right.  Who  knows  but  this 
man  may  be  an  emissary  of  those  who  would  wile 
away  the  little  lad  from  his  uncle,  Prince  Askurry's 
protection.  His  other  uncle,  Kumran,  is  not  so 
kind." 

The  messenger  scowled  at  the  old  man.  "As  you 
please,"  he  began  blusteringly,  "but  those  who  disobey 
the  King's  order  may  find  their  lives  forfeit." 

"jNIine  is  forfeit  already  to  the  child's  service,"  re- 
plied Foster-father  with  spirit.  "And  without  a  token 
I  stir  not —  Peace !  woman,"  he  added  to  Head-nurse, 
who  would  fain  have  sided  with  the  messenger,  "and 
go  fetch  the  Heir-to-EmjDire's  cap.  That  shall 
go  as  sign  that  he  is  his  father's  vassal,  to  do  what 
he  is  told  when  the  order  comes  accredited.  So  take 
that  as  my  answer  to  those  who  sent  you,  sir  mes- 
senger!" 

So  despite  Head-nurse's  protestations  the  man  went 
off  with  nothing  but  the  little  gold-laced  skull  cap. 
And  he  had  not  to  go  far ;  only  into  a  tent  on  the  out- 
skirts of  the  camp.  For  Foster-father's  suspicions 
had  been  correct,  and  he  had  been  sent  to  try  and  en- 
tice the  child  by  some  of  Prince  Kumran's  partisans' 
who,  booted  and  spurred,  and  with  a  swift  pacing 
camel  for  the  child,  were  waiting  eagerly  for  the  re- 
turn of  their  messenger. 
48 


ON  THE  ROAD 

Their  faces  fell  as  he  flung  the  little  cap  upon  the 
ground. 

"The  old  fox  is  too  wary,"  he  said.  "We  must  get 
at  the  child  some  other  way." 

One  of  the  party  took  up  the  cap  and  fingered  it, 
half  idly.  "He  has  a  large-sized  head  for  his  years," 
he  remarked;  "if  it  be  full  of  brains,  hereafter  he  may 
do  well." 


49 


CHAPTER  VI 

AT  COURT 

Of  course,  the  messenger  never  returned  from  King 
Ilumayon  with  the  token;  but  Foster-father  was  a 
good-natured  man  and  did  not  boast  of  his  wisdom  to 
Head-nurse,  who,  however,  remained  wonderfully 
meek  and  silent  until  at  the  end  of  a  fortnight's  march- 
ing they  saAv,  against  the  blue  of  the  distant  valley, 
the  white  domes  of  the  town  of  Kandahar  with  the 
citadel  rising  above  them.  Then,  with  the  chance  of  a 
court  before  her  once  more,  she  began  chattering  of 
ceremonials  and  titles  and  etiquettes. 

"Praise  be!"  she  shrilled  in  her  high  voice.  "No 
more  jiggettings  and  joggettings  on  camel  back.  I 
shall  be  on  my  own  feet  once  more,  and  it  shall  not  be 
my  fault  if  His  just  dues  are  not  given  to  the  Great- 
in-Pomp "  etc.,  etc. 

Foster-mother  interrupted  the  string  of  titles.  "So 
that  they  harm  not  the  child,"  she  said,  clasping  her 
charge  tight.  She  was  always  thinking  of  his  safety, 
always  alarmed  for  danger;  but  he,  young  Turk  that 
he  was,  struggled  from  her  arms  and  pointed  to  the 
hills  they  were  leaving  behind  them. 

"Dadda,  Amma  'way  'way  mountains,"  he  repeated 

once  more;  then  added  cheerfully,  "Akka  'way,  too." 

"It  is  a  prophecy!"  said  Old  Faithful,  overhearing 
50 


AT  COURT 

the  remark.  "Sure  his  grandad  Baber — on  whom  be 
peace — had  the  gift,  and  this  babe  may  have  inherited 
it." 

"May  have,"  echoed  Head-nurse  indignantly.  "He 
has  inherited  it,  and  has  much  of  his  own  besides. 
Mark  my  words!  if  this  child  live — which  Heaven 
grant — he  will  be  the  King  of  Kings !  Not  two  sum- 
mers old  and  he  talks  as  one  of  three." 

"Aye!"  assented  Foster-mother,  "but  he  does  not 
walk  yet." 

Head-nurse  sniffed.  "Thou  are  a  foolish  soul, 
woman !  Sure  either  the  feet  or  the  tongue  must  come 
first,  and  for  my  part  I  prefer  the  tongue.  Any  babe 
can  walk!" 

And  Foster-mother  was  silent ;  it  was  true  one  could 
not  have  everything. 

Their  last  camp  was  pitched  just  outside  the  cit}^ 
of  Kandahar,  so  that  Prince  Askurry  could  make  a 
regular  triumphal  entry  the  next  morning  and  let 
everybody  see  with  their  own  eyes  that  he  had  come 
back  victorious,  holding  Baby  Akbar  as  prisoner  and 
hostage. 

But  this  did  not  suit  Head-nurse  at  all.  She  had 
no  notion  that  her  Heir-to-Empire  should  be  stared 
at  as  a  captive;  so,  though  she  started  from  camp 
humbly  as  ever  on  the  baggage  camel,  no  sooner  had 
they  passed  through  the  arched  gate  of  the  city  with 
Prince  Askurry  well  ahead  of  them  in  the  narrow 

51 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

streets,  than  out  she  whipped  the  Royal  Umbrella 
whieh  she  had  patched  up  with  an  old  scarlet  silk  petti- 
coat, and  there  was  Baby  Akbar  under  its  shadow; 
and,  having— young  as  he  was— been  taught  to  salute 
to  a  crowd,  he  began  waving  his  little  fat  hand  with 
much  dignity,  until  the  people  who  had  come  out  to 
gape  whispered  among  themselves  and  said: 

"He  looks  every  inch  a  king's  son." 

"And  that  is  what  he  is,"  said  a  bold  voice  in  the 
crowd;  but  though  folk  turned  to  see  who  spoke,  there 
was  no  sign  of  the  speaker.  For  loyal  men  had  to 
hide  their  loyalty  in  those  days.  Still  the  populace 
WTre  pleased  with  the  little  Prince's  bearing,  and 
many  a  hand  was  raised  to  welcome  him. 

Before  they  reached  the  frowning  palace,  indeed, 
where  Prince  Askurry  kept  a  right  royal  court  as 
Governor  of  Kandahar,  Head-nurse's  mind  was  full 
of  the  things  she  intended  to  insist  upon  for  the  honour 
and  dignity  of  her  small  charge.  Meanwhile  she  had 
to  obey  the  order  to  take  him  at  once  into  Prmcess 
Sultanam's  apartments.  Now  Princess  Sultanam  was 
Prince  Askurry's  wife,  and  she  had  a  boy  of  her  own 
who  was  about  three  years  older  than  Baby  Akbar, 
and  a  little  daughter  who  had  just  been  born  about  a 
month  before.  So,  as  she  lay  among  cushions  at  the 
farther  end  of  the  long  room,  with  Prince  Askurry, 
who  had  hurried  to  see  his  wife  on  his  return,  beside 
her,  she  looked  suspiciously  at  the  child  which  Head- 
52 


AT  COURT 

nurse  put  down  on  the  Persian  carpet  as  soon  as  she 
came  into  the  room;  since  though  others  might  carry 
him  to  the  upstarts  at  the  farther  end,  she  was  not 
going  to  do  so,  when  they  were  clearly  bound  to  come 
humbly  to  the  Heir-to-Empire  and  prostrate  them- 
selves before  him! 

So  there  stood  Baby  Akbar,  fair  and  square,  steady- 
ing himself  by  Head-nurse's  petticoats,  but  for  all 
that  looking  bold  and  big  and  brave. 

Now  Princess  Sultanam  was  a  kindl}^  foolish 
woman  at  heart,  much  given  to  impulses,  and  the  sight 
of  the  upstanding  little  boy  made  her  think  instantly 
what  a  fine  man  he  would  make,  and  that  brought 
another  thought  which  made  her  sit  up  delightedly 
and  clap  her  hands. 

"I  have  it,  my  lord!"  she  exclaimed,  turning  to 
Prince  Askurry.  "It  is  a  grand  idea!  We  will  be- 
troth our  little  Amina  to  this  young  master.  That 
will  settle  everything  and  they  will  be  the  hand- 
somest couple  in  the  country!" 

Now,  strange  as  this  may  sound  to  my  readers, 
Prince  Askurry,  who  was  accustomed  to  the  Indian 
habit  of  settling  that  quite  little  boys  and  girls  should 
marry  each  other  when  they  grew  up,  could  not  help 
at  once  seeing  that  his  wife's  suggestion  was  not  such 
a  bad  one.  It  would  help  him  to  keep  a  hold  over  the 
little  Heir-to-Empire.  If  King  Humayon  returned 
it  would  make  him  more  inclined  to  forgive,  and  if 

53 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

he  did  not,  why!  it  would  prevent  cruel  brother  Kum- 
ran  from  stepping  in  and  getting  all,  since  as  father- 
in-law  to  the  young  king  he,  Askurry,  would  be 
Regent. 

Still,  taken  aback,  he  hummed  and  hawed. 

"It  would  be  a  long  time  to  wait  until  they  are  old 
enough  to  marry,"  he  began. 

"Long!"  interrupted  the  lively  Princess  gaily.  "All 
the  longer  for  merriment  and  festivities.  Thy  daugh- 
ter, my  lord,  is  already  beautiful,  and  I'll  wager  the 
boy  will  be  a  grown  man  ere  we  have  time  to  turn 
round.  So  that  is  settled.  Therefore  come  hither,  oh 
nephew!  Jallaluddin  iNIahomed  Akbar,  since  that  is 
thy  long  name,  and  kiss  thy  cousin  Amina —  Nurse! 
bring  my  sw^eeting  hither.  Xow  then,  w^oman,"  she 
continued  sharply,  addressing  Head-nurse,  who  stood 
petrified  w^ith  astonishment  and  anger  at  the  very  idea 
of  such  scant  ceremony.  "If  the  boy  cannot  walk, 
carry  him!" 

Head-nurse  could  scarcely  speak.  To  be  called 
"Woman"  by  an  upstart— for  Prince  Askurry  had 
married  Princess  Sultanam  for  her  beautj^— was  too 
much ! 

"The  Feet-of-the-Most-Condescending-of-Majes- 
ties,"  she  began  pompously,  "have  not  yet  conferred 
happiness  on  the  earth  by  treading  it  underfoot, 
neither " 

Here  she  broke  off  hurriedlv,  for  at  that  very 
54 


AT  COURT 

instant,  as  if  in  denial  of  her  words,  Baby  Akbar 
gave  a  little  crow  of  assent,  let  go  her  petticoats, 
and  with  outspread  balancing  arms,  and  legs  very 
wide  apart,  launched  himself  boldly  for  his  very  first 
steps ! 

''Bismillahr  (Well  done!)  shrieked  Foster-mother 
in  delight. 

'"Bismillah!  Bismillahr  echoed  every  one  in  the 
room,  while  all  eyes  full  of  smiles  were  on  the  stalwart 
young  toddler  as  he  lurched  forward,  his  face  one 
broad  grin. 

Princess  Sultanam  clapped  her  hands  again.  "Thy 
turban,  my  lord!"  she  cried  in  a  flutter  of  amusement. 
"Thy  turban,  quick;  as  his  father  is  not  here  'tis  thy 
place  to  prevent  him  falling  of  himself — thy  turban — 
quick!  quick!" 

Prince  Askurry,  full  of  laughter,  pulled  off  the 
soft  turban  he  wore — it  was  all  wound  round  and 
round  to  fit  the  head  like  a  cap — and  in  obedience  to 
the  Indian  custom,  which  always  prevents  a  child  from 
falling  of  itself  in  its  first  attempt  at  walking,  flung 
it  full  at  the  little  lad.  It  caught  him  between  his 
outspread  balancing  arms-  and  over  he  went  on  to  the 
thick  pile  carpet. 

Foster-mother  was  beside  him  in  a  second,  eager  to 
snatch  him  up  and  cover  him  with  kisses;  but  Baby 
Akbar  wriggled  himself  from  her  hold.  He  had  set 
himself  a  task  and  he  meant  to  do  it. 

55 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

"Go  way!"  he  said  with  determination.  "Tumbu 
down.     Ciet  u])  again." 

So,  cahiily  reaching  round  for  the  turban  wliich  lay 
beside  him,  which  he  evidently  thought  had  tumbled 
(low  n  too,  he  chi])ped  it  on  his  head  with  both  hands, 
rose  to  his  feet  and  recommenced  his  forward  lurcli; 
a  yard  or  two  of  the  fringed  turban,  which  had  become 
unrolled,  trailing  behind  him  like  a  royal  robe. 

It  was  a  quainter  little  figure  than  before,  but  no- 
body laughed  now.  They  looked  at  each  other,  then 
at  the  child  staggering  along  under  the  Prince's 
])lumed  turban,  then  at  Prince  Askurry  himself  stand- 
ing bareheaded  before  his  nephew. 

It  was  an  ill  omen.  And  yet  as  Head-nurse  said 
proudly  w^hen  they  got  back  to  the  rooms  that  had 
been  given  them  in  a  frowning  bastion  of  the  palace. 
Baby  Akbar  had  once  more  scored  off  his  uncle. 

Indeed,  she  was  so  cock-a-hoop  about  it  that  she 
stickled  for  tliis,  and  she  stickled  for  that  until  the 
attendants,  who  were  at  first  inclined  to  be  civil,  began 
to  look  askance,  and  Foster-father  had  to  bid  her  hold 
her  tongue. 

"Wise  folk  leave  steel  traps  alone,"  he  said;  "fid- 
dling with  them  lets  off  the  spring.    Then — pouf !" 

He  shook  his  head  significantly. 

"Steel  traps?"  echoed  Head-nurse  sniffily,  "who  is 
talking  of  steel  traps?" 

"I  am,  woman!"  replied  Foster-father  sternly.  "I 
56 


AT  COURT 

tell  you  this  Kandahar  is  as  a  steel  trap  ready  to  snap 
on  us  at  any  moment." 

Head-nurse  was  silent,  even  though  he  also  had 
ventured  to  call  her  "woman";  but  she  was  beginning 
to  learn  that  nine  times  out  of  ten  Foster-father  was 
right. 


57 


CHAPTER  VII 

WINTER 

The  winter  settled  in  early  that  year,  and  with  the 
passes  of  the  hills  hlocked  hy  snow,  the  caravans  of 
laden  camels  which,  in  addition  to  merchandise  of  all 
sorts,  brought  news  from  the  world  to  the  east  and 
the  world  to  the  west  of  mountain-clipped  Kandahar, 
ceased  to  come  into  the  big  bazaar.  And  the  cold 
kept  most  people  at  home,  or  shivering  beside  the 
glowing  braziers  set  outside  the  shops.  It  was  not  the 
season  for  active  work,  and  so  Prince  Askurry  let  it 
slip  by  without  really  making  up  his  mind  what  he 
was  to  do  with  Baby  Akbar.  ^Meanwhile  the  child 
could  live  in  the  bastion  of  the  palace,  and  play  with 
his  little  cousins.  Whether  he  was  to  be  betrothed  to 
Baby  Amina  or  not  could  be  decided  in  the  spring; 
this  was  the  time  for  rest  and  home  comfort  without 
fear  of  any  disturbing,  since  none  could  cross  the 
passes  in  winter. 

Princess  Sultanam,  however,  to  whom  in  her  seclu- 
sion winter  and  summer  were  much  alike,  grew  fond 
of  the  little  lad,  and  never  ceased  to  urge  on  her  hus- 
band the  wisdom  of  so  treating  Prince  Akbar,  that 
should  King  Humayon  by  good  luck— and  he  liad  a 
knack  of  being  lucky— find  himself  again  with  an 
army  at  his  back,  his  hands  would  be  tied  from  revenge 
on  the  Court  at  Kabul. 
58 


WINTER 

Now,  Askurry  was  no  fool;  he  saw  that,  for  the 
present  at  any  rate,  until  Humayon's  fate  was  decided, 
it  would  be  wiser  to  be  kind ;  so  he  decided  that  when  he 
held  the  New  Year's  assemblage  he  would  j)resent  the 
little  prince  in  due  form  to  the  chiefs  and  nobles. 

Head-nurse  was  almost  crazy  with  delight  at  the 
very  idea.  She  and  Foster-mother  sent  all  their  jewels 
to  the  goldsmith  to  be  made  up  into  suitable  orna- 
ments for  Baby  Akbar,  and  they  ransacked  the  shops 
for  odd  scraps  of  brocade  with  which  to  make  him  the 
finest  of  fine  state  robes. 

And  on  the  eventful  day  they  began  the  child's 
toilette  early,  pressing  Roy  the  Rajput  into  service 
as  tire-woman  to  hold  the  ointments,  and  scents,  and 
what  not,  that  they  deemed  necessary  for  the  due 
dressing  of  a  Prince. 

So  that  it  rather  dashed  their  spirits  when  Foster- 
father  came  in  with  a  sober  face  and  the  news  that  a 
man  had  come  into  the  bazaar  bringing  bad  tidings 
of  the  King  and  Queen.  They  had,  he  said,  been  lost 
in  the  snow;  but  whether  this  was  true  or  not,  who 
could  tell? 

"Then  what  is  the  use  of  worrying?"  snapped 
Head-nurse,  who  was  too  much  occupied  in  making 
her  charge  beautiful  to  think  of  other  things.  "Lo! 
Foster-father,  evil  is  never  lost  on  the  road.  It  arrives 
sooner  or  later,  so  why  watch  for  it  at  the  door?" 

"That  is  true,"  replied  Foster-father,  "but  mark 

59 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

my  words,  all  depends  on  good  news.    If  that  comes, 
the  child  is  safe;  if  evil — then  God  help  him!" 

Roy,  who,  Bahy  Akhar  heing  nearly  dressed,  was 
now  holding  the  ])ot  of  lamp-black  and  oil  with  which 
Head-nurse,  after  the  Indian  custom,  would  put  a 
finishing  touch  to  her  work  by  smearing  a  big  black 
smut  on  the  child's  forehead,  lest  he  should  be  too 
sweet  and  so  attract  an  envious,  evil  eye,  looked  up 
at  the  words,  his  face  full  of  light  and  remembrance. 

"God  does  help  true  kingship,"  he  said  proudly. 
"JNIother  used  to  say  so,  and  that  is  why  she  was  never 
afraid — "  He  paused  and  the  light  in  his  face  faded. 
"I — I  don't  remember  any  more,"  he  added  apolo- 
getically. 

"Remembrance  or  no,"  snapped  Head-nurse,  "hold 
the  pot  straight,  boy,  or  thou  wilt  spill  it  over  the 
]\Iighty-in-Pomp,  the  Admired-of -the- World,"  etc. 

But  Foster-father  looked  at  Old  Faithful  and  laid 
his  hand  kindly  on  Roy's  shoulder.  "It  matters  not, 
Roy!  It  is  there  within  thee,  all  the  same.  And  'twill 
come  back  some  day,  never  fear.  And  I  for  one," 
he  added  aside  to  the  old  trooper,  "should  not  wonder 
at  much ;  for  the  lad's  manners  are  ever  above  his  pres- 
ent station." 

Old  Faithful  shook  his  head  wisely.    "  'Tis  not  the 
boy's  manners,  friend,"  he  said,  "but  his  breed.     A 
man  may  compass  manners  for  himself,  but  not  that 
his  father  should  have  had  them  also." 
60 


WINTER 

By  this  time  the  black  smear  was  on  Baby  Akbar's 
forehead,  and  despite  the  smudge,  he  looked  a  very 
fine  little  fellow  indeed.  So  much  so  that  quite  a 
murmur  of  delighted  admiration  ran  round  the  assem- 
blage when  Askurry  appeared,  leading  him  by  the 
hand;  for  he  had  quickly  learned  to  run  about  and 
was  now  quite  steady  on  his  legs. 

"A  chip  of  the  old  block,"  said  an  ancient  mountain 
chief,  who  had  known  his  grandfather  Babar,  and 
many  others  nodded  assent.  Then  Prince  Askurry 
began  a  set  speech,  little  Akbar  seated  on  his  knee  the 
while. 

It  was  a  very  clever,  crafty  speech,  that  could  be 
taken  two  ways,  and  Prince  Askurry  was  so  much 
interested  in  it,  and  making  sure  that  he  was  neither 
too  disloyal  or  too  loyal  to  his  unfortunate  brother, 
the  King,  that  he  did  not  notice  what  was  passing  on 
his  knee  until  a  sudden  lack  of  attention  on  the  part 
of  his  audience  made  him  follow  their  eyes,  and  look 
down  at  the  child  upon  his  lap. 

And  then? 

Then  he  sat  dumbfounded,  his  face  flushing  to  a 
dull,  dark  red,  for  he  saw  in  a  moment  what  the  thing 
that  had  happened  would  mean  to  those  others — the 
audience  before  him — the  men  he  had  summoned  to 
listen  to  his  half-hearted  words. 

Yet  it  was  a  very  simple  little  thing.  Baby  Akbar, 
tired,  doubtless,  of  his  uncle's  speechifying,  had  found 

61 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

amusement  in  a  slender  gold  chain  which  hung  round 
his  uncle's  neck ;  had  traced  it  to  a  secret  pocket  in  his 
inner  waistcoat,  and  so  had  drawn  out  from  its  hiding 
place  a  golden  signet  ring,  set  with  an  engraved 
emerald.  A  toy  indeed!  So  after  playing  with  it  for 
a  bit  the  child  had  slipped  it  onto  his  little  forefinger, 
which  he  held  up  the  better  to  admire  his  new-found 
treasure.  So  it  came  to  pass  that  as  Askurry's  smooth, 
oily  voice  went  on  and  on,  those  who  listened  could 
see  a  little  image  sitting  on  his  knee. 

A  dignified,  gracious-looking  image  with  forefinger 
held  up  in  the  attitude  of  kingly  command;  and  on 
that  forefinger — what? 

The  Signet  of  the  King! 

The  Ring  of  Empire! 

It  was  unmistakable !  Askurry  must  have  found  it 
in  his  fugitive  brother's  tent.  He  must  have  con- 
cealed it.  Uncertain  what  part  he  meant  to  play  in 
the  end,  he  must  have  worn  it  on  his  person  until  the 
child — the  true  Heir-to-Empire 

The  chiefs  looked  at  each  other  furtively.  There 
was  a  pause.  Then  suddenly  an  old,  thin  voice — the 
voice  of  the  old  mountain  chief,  who  remembered 
Babar  the  brave — rose  on  the  silence. 

"God  save  the  Heir-to-Empire!" 

It  gave  the  lead,  and  from  every  side  rose  the  cry : 

"God  save  the  Heir-to-Empire!" 

Prince  Askurry's  face  fell.  He  had  not  meant  to 
62 


WINTER 

rouse  loyalty,  but  he  was  quick  and  clever,  so  he  saw 
that  it  had  been  roused,  and  that  now  was  not  the  time 
to  try  and  stifle  it.  So  his  frown  turned  to  a  smile  as 
he  caught  the  child  to  him  and  rose,  holding  him  in 
his  arms. 

"The  rogue,  my  lords,"  he  said  lightly,  "has  fore- 
stalled me.  I  meant  to  place  the  ring  upon  his  finger 
myself  before  you  all,  in  token  that  he  does  in  truth 
represent  our  King,  but  praise  be  to  Heaven!  he  has 
saved  me  the  task.     Long  live  the  Heir-to-Empire!" 

But  the  nobles  as  they  passed  out  of  the  assembly, 
and  the  people  who  heard  the  tale  outside,  said  it  was 
a  strange  happening  that  the  innocent  child  should 
so  claim  his  right.  And  cruel  brother  Kumran's  party 
laid  their  heads  together  once  more,  and  swore  it  was 
time  to  end  Prince  Askurry's  foolish  hesitation.  They 
must  get  at  the  child  somehow. 

But  by  this  time,  if  Prince  Askurry  had  not  quite 
made  up  his  mind  how  he  should  treat  Baby  Akbar, 
he  had  quite  settled  that  no  one  else — least  of  all  cruel 
brother  Kumran — should  have  anything  to  do  with 
the  child.  So  the  little  prince  was  carefully  watched 
and  guarded,  rather  to  Foster-father's  and  Old  Faith- 
ful's relief.  Indeed,  as  time  went  on  they  almost  for- 
got to  watch  themselves,  being  accustomed  to  see  the 
sentry  walking  up  and  down  before  the  entry  to  the 
narrow  stairs  that  led  up  to  the  three  rooms  in  the  old 
bastion  which  were  given  them  as  lodgings.     They 

63 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

were  large,  comfortable  rooms,  and  the  inner  one  was 
used  by  Foster-motlier,  Head-nurse  and  Baby  Akbar, 
the  outer  one  by  the  two  men  and  the  two  boys,  while 
the  middle  one,  a  great  wide  hall  of  a  place,  they  used 
as  a  living  room.  It  was  lighter  than  the  others,  since 
it  had  slits  of  windows — without  glass,  of  course — 
high  up  in  the  walls,  and  though  these  let  the  cold  as 
well  as  the  winter  sunshine  into  the  room,  there  was  a 
roaring  great  fireplace,  which  kept  the  farther  end 
of  the  hall  nice  and  warm.  And  here  on  very  frosty 
nights  the  women  folk  would  drag  their  beds  and 
sleep,  while  during  the  snowy  days  they  would  spread 
quilts  on  the  floor,  and  Baby  Akbar  would  have  high 
jinks  with  Tumbu  and  Down,  who  were  his  constant 
playmates.  Then,  when  he  was  tired,  Roy  w^ould 
cradle  his  young  master  in  his  arms  and  sing  to  him. 
Not  lullabies,  for  little  Akbar's  mind  kept  pace  with 
his  body,  and  every  month  saw  him  more  and  more  of 
a  boy  and  less  and  less  of  a  baby. 

"Tell  me  how  Rajah  Rasalu  did  this,"  or  "Tell  me 
how  Rajah  Rasalu  did  that,"  he  w^ould  say;  and  so 
Roy's  boyish  voice  would  go  over  the  old  story  of  end- 
less adventures,  w^hich  has  delighted  so  many  Indian 
children  for  so  many  generations. 

So  time  passed  quite  merrily  until  one  night,  w^hen 
something  dreadful  happened.  So  dreadful  that  it 
will  really  require  another  chapter  to  describe  it.  But 
it  was  one  night  when  Roy  had  been  telling  the  little 
64 


WINTER 

prince  how  "Rajah  Rasalu's  friends  forsook  him  for 
fear."  And  as  this  is  rather  a  nice  story,  it  shall  be 
told  here. 

"You  know,  great  Kingly  child,"  began  Roy,  "how 
Rajah  Rasalu  was  born  and  how  Rajah  Rasfdu  set 
out  into  the  world  to  seek  for  fortune,  taking  with  him 
his  dear  horse,  Baunwa-iraki,  his  parrot,  Kilkila,  who 
had  lived  with  him  since  he  was  born,  besides  the  Car- 
penter-lad and  the  Goldsmith-lad,  who  had  sworn 
never  to  leave  their  young  master.  So  he  journeyed 
north  to  a  lonely  place,  all  set  with  sombre  trees.  And 
the  night  was  dark,  so  he  set  a  watch,  and  the  gold- 
smith took  the  first,  while  the  young  prince  slept  by 
the  Carpenter-lad,  on  a  couch  of  clean,  sweet  leaves. 
And  lest  the  heart  of  the  prince  should  sink,  they  sang 
a  cheering  song : 

"  'Cradled  till  now  on  softest  down, 
Leaves  are  thy  bed  to-night; 
Yet  grieve  not  thou  at  fortune's  frown, 
Brave  men  heed  not  her  slight/ 

"And  while  they  slept  and  the  goldsmith  watched, 
a  snake  slid  out  from  the  trees.  'Now,  who  are  you?' 
quoth  the  Goldsmith-lad,  who  come  to  disturb  his 
rest?'  'Lo!  I  have  killed  all  living  things  that  have 
ventured  within  ten  miles  of  this  my  place  of  rest,'  it 
hissed,  'and  now  I  will  slay  you,  too!'  So  they  fought 
and  fought,  but  the  Goldsmith  lad  he  killed  the  snake 

65 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

m  the  end.    Then  he  hid  the  body  under  his  shield,  lest 
the  others  might  be  afraid,  and  he  roused  from  his  rest 
the  Carpenter-lad,  to  take  his  share  of  the  watch,  while 
he,  in  his  turn,  on  the  clean,  sweet  leaves  lay  down 
beside  the  prince.    And  while  they  slept,  and  the  Car- 
penter watched,  a  dragon  slid  from  the  trees.    'Now, 
who  are  you?'  quoth  the  Carpenter-lad,  'who  come  to 
disturb  his  rest?'    'Lo!  I  have  killed  all  living  things 
for  twenty  miles  round  this  place;  and  I'll  kill  you, 
too,'  it  roared,  'and  crack  your  bones  to  eat.'    So  they 
fought  and  fought  and  fought  till  he  killed  the  dragon 
at  last.    Then  he  hid  the  body  behind  a  bush  lest  the 
others  should  be  afraid,  and  roused  Rasalu  from  out 
his  sleep  to  take  his  share  of  the  watch;  while  he  in 
turn  by  the  Goldsmith-lad  lay  down  to  take  his  rest. 
"And    while    they    slept    and    Rasalu    waked    a 
THING  slid  out  from  the  trees;  an  awful  THING! 
No  man  could  tell  th'  unspeakable  horror  of  it.    But 
Rasalu  smiled  in  its  face  of  dread,  and  laughed  in  its 
horrible  eyes.    'Pray,  who  are  3^ou  to  disturb  our  rest, 
and  why  do  you  dare  to  come?'    'Lo!  I  have  killed  all 
living  things  for  twenty  times  twenty  miles,  and  I  will 
kill  you,  upstart  boy,  and  crack  your  bones  to  dust.' 
"So  they  fought  and  fought  and  fought,  and  Rasalu 
drew  his  bow,  and  the  arrow  fled  hke  the  wind  and 
pierced  the  Awful  Horror  through.     Then  it  fled 
to  a  cave  close  by,  with  Rasalu  at  its  heels.     So  they 
fought  and  fought  and  fought  till  the  dawn  showed 
66 


WINTER 

clear  in  the  sky,  and  the  Awful  Horror  gave  up  with 
a  groan  and  rolled  on  its  side  and  died.  Now,  just 
as  Rasalu  wiped  his  sword  the  sleepers  awoke  from 
their  sleep.  'See  here!'  said  the  Goldsmith-lad  with 
pride,  'what  I  killed  in  my  lonely  watch.'  'Pooh !  only 
a  snake!'  said  the  Carpenter-lad;  'see  the  dragon  I 
have  killed.'  But  Rasalu  took  them  both  by  the  hand 
and  led  them  into  the  cave;  but  dead  as  it  was,  they 
shrieked  with  fear  at  the  Awful  Horror  they  saw. 
And  they  fell  at  Rasalu's  feet  and  groaned  and 
moaned  and  prayed  and  wept.  'Let  us  go!  Oh,  hero, 
we  are  but  men.  We  dare  not  follow  you  now.  It 
is  nothing  to  you;  it  is  death  to  us  to  follow  and  be 
your  friends.' 

"Then  tears  came  into  Rasalu's  eyes,  but  he  said  no 
word  of  nay.  'Do  as  you  will,'  he  said  to  them.  '/ 
will  not  bid  you  staj^ 

*'  'Aloes  linger   long  before  they   flower, 
Gracious  rain  too  soon  is  overpast ; 
Youth  and  strength  are  with  us  but  an  hour. 
All  glad  life  must  end  in  death  at  last. 
But  king  reigns  king  without  consent  of  courtier, 
Rulers  may  rule,  though  none  heed  their  command; 
Heaven-crowned  heads,  stoop  not,  but  rise  the  haughtier. 
Alone  and  friendless  in  a  strangers'  land.' 

"So  his  friends  forsook  him  and  fled.  But  Rasalu 
went  on  his  way." 


67 


CHAPTER  VIII 

down's  stratagem 

Now  the  terrible  thing  that  happened  was  one 
which  Foster-father  might  have  expected,  but  for  two 
things. 

One  was  the  sentry  who  walked  up  and  down  all 
night  long  below  the  high  second-story  windows  of 
the  central  room.  He  would  be  bound  to  see  any 
attempt  to  gain  an  entrance  through  them,  even  if 
they  were  wide  enough  to  admit  the  entry  of  a  grown 
man,  which  they  were  not. 

The  other  was  the  fact  that  he,  Old  Faithful,  Meroo 
and  Roy  all  slept  in  the  outer  room,  into  which  the 
only  door  opened,  so  that  any  intruder  would  have 
to  force  an  entrance  over  their  bodies;  for  they  slept 
with  drawn  swords  beside  them. 

So  as  the  days  passed  on  Foster-father's  vigilance — 
though  he  knew  that  cruel  brother  Kumran's  agents 
were  on  the  lookout  for  any  opportunity  of  kidnap- 
ping the  Heir-to-Empire— slackened  somewhat,  espe- 
cially when  the  afternoons  drew  in,  the  fire  in  the  big 
hall  was  made  up,  the  quilts  put  down  and  Baby 
Akbar,  surrounded  by  his  admiring  circle,  listened  to 
Roy's  stories  or  tumbled  about  with  his  playmates, 
Tumbu,  the  dog,  and  Down,  the  cat. 

One  day,  however,  Down  did  not  appear  until  little 
68 


DOWN'S  STRATAGEM 

Akbar  was  having  his  supper,  and  then  she  came  in 
a  great  hurry  out  of  a  small  archway  by  the  big  fire- 
place, which  led  to  a  sort  of  cupboard  in  the  masonry, 
where  charcoal  had  been  kept,  gobbled  up  a  plate  of 
bread  and  milk,  and  hurried  in  again  as  if  she  had 
to  catch  a  train. 

"She  has  had  kittens,"  said  Foster-mother;  "I  won- 
der if  they  are  white  or  black." 

"Black!"  sniffed  Head-nurse.  "What  else  could 
they  be  in  that  hole?  Have  a  care,  woman!  or  the 
Heir-to-Empire  will  be  blacking  himself,  too.  The 
archway  is  large  enough  for  him  to  creep  in,  and 
Heaven  only  knows  whither  it  might  lead." 

"That  is  true,"  replied  Foster-mother,  alarmed,  as 
she  distracted  the  child's  attention. 

But  in  a  day  or  two  his  quick  ear  caught  the  sound 
of  a  feeble  mewing  inside  the  arch,  and,  of  course,  he 
wanted  to  know  what  it  was.  So  he  was  told  that 
kittens  had  to  be  kept  quiet  and  that  Down  would 
be  very  vexed  if  her  kitten  was  disturbed;  but  that 
by-and-bye  she  would  doubtless  bring  it  out  for  him 
to  see,  and  then,  of  course,  he  could  play  with  it.  Now, 
Baby  Akbar  was  always  a  reasonable  little  fellow,  so 
he  waited  patiently ;  though  every  night  when  he  went 
to  bed  and  Down  came  out  for  her  supper,  his  little 
mouth  would  go  down  and  he  would  hold  up  his  little 
hands  and  twiddle  them  round  and  say  mom-nfully: 

"Kitty  not  'weady.     Kitty  not  'weady." 

69 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

Now,  one  night  there  was  a  great  festival  in  the 
palace,  and  the  Heir-to-Empire  had  to  go  and  pay 
his  res])ects,  after  the  Indian  manner  on  feast  days,  to 
his  aunt  and  uncle.  Then,  when  he  returned,  they  sent 
him,  after  Indian  wont,  trays  full  of  fruit  and  sugar- 
toffee  made  in  the  shape  of  animals,  and  a  few  pieces 
of  muslin  and  stuffs  to  make  new  dresses  for  the 
party.  In  addition  to  this  there  was  a  trayful  of 
supper,  which  came  afterward,  when  daylight  had 
gone,  with  the  Princess  Sultanum's  best  compliments. 
At  least  so  said  the  man  who  brought  it ;  but  he  did 
not  wait  to  be  questioned,  and  disappeared  so  soon  as 
JMeroo  had  taken  the  tray  from  him. 

But  it  was  full  of  the  most  delicious  dainties,  in- 
cluding a  bowl  of  sweet  milk  made  with  almonds  and 
honey  and  rice  meal  for  Bab}^  Akbar. 

Head-nurse,  however,  would  not  let  him  eat  it.  She 
was  always  afraid  of  the  little  lad  being  poisoned,  so 
Meroo  always  cooked  with  his  own  hands  everything 
the  child  ate.  Therefore  they  gave  it  to  Tumbu  in- 
stead ;  for,  having  been  brought  up  by  shepherds,  he 
loved  milk,  and  he  licked  his  hps  after  it  and  was  soon 
sound  asleep  by  the  fire. 

The  lamb  stewed  with  pistachio  nuts  and  full  of 
saffron  looked,  however,  so  delicious  that  after  Meroo 
had  tasted  it  and  pronounced  it  quite  safe,  since  all 
knew  that  saffron  would  not  go  with  real  poison,  they 
set  to  work  and  finished  the  platter. 
70 


DOWN'S  STRATAGEM 

They  were  all  as  jolly  as  could  be  afterward,  though 
the  heat  of  the  fire  and  their  heavy  supper  made  them 
sleepy;  so  Head-nurse,  declaring  it  was  far  too  cold 
in  the  inner  room,  dragged  her  bed  and  Foster- 
mother's  close  to  the  fire,  the  others  retired  to  the  outer 
room,  and  before  long  they  were  all  snoring  away 
quite  happily. 

For  if  the  supper  had  not  truly  been  poisoned,  it  had 
been  drugged.  Drugged  with  sleep -bringing  drugs. 
So,  as  the  firelight  flickered  over  the  room  faintly, 
it  showed  Head-nurse's  face  and  Foster-mother's  face 
and  even  Tumbu's  black  muzzle  in  a  dead  sleep  that 
was  almost  unconsciousness.  And  in  the  outer  room 
Foster-father  snored,  and  even  Roy's  keen,  hawk-face 
lay  like  one  dead.  Only  Baby  Akbar  tossed  and 
turned  in  his  comfortable  nest  between  his  two 
nurses. 

Save  for  this,  due  to  Head-nurse's  precaution  in  not 
allowing  the  Heir-to-Empire  sweet  milk  for  supper, 
all  was  as  cruel  brother  Kumran's  agents  had  planned 
when  they  had  sent  the  pretended  messenger  from 
the  palace  with  the  platter  of  delicacies.  Even  the 
sentry  below  was  sleeping  sound  after  his  share  of 
kid  curry. 

Thus,  those  who  were  on  the  roof  waiting  until  the 
moon  had  set  and  they  could  without  fear  of  discovery 
lower  the  young  lad,  who  was  to  steal  Baby  Akbar, 
down  to  the  window  (through  which,  being  slender, 

71 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

the  thief  could  slip  easily),  felt  that  their  task  was 
almost  done. 

But  they  reckoned  without  a  great  white  fluff  which 
after  a  time  showed  itself  at  the  entry  to  the  charcoal 
bunker,  yawning  and  stretching  and  blinking  its  eyes. 
Head-nurse  had  been  quite  wrong  in  saying  Down's 
kitten  must  be  black  in  that  hole!  Its  mother,  any- 
how, was  beautifully  white,  perhaps  because  Down 
was  a  sensible  cat  and  had  only  chosen  the  charcoal 
bunker  because  she  had  found  a  lot  of  old  straw  and 
a  blanket  tucked  away  in  its  farther  corner.  Besides, 
as  she  only  had  one  kitten,  she  could  spend  all  her 
time  in  licking  it  and  cleaning  it  with  her  rough,  red 
tongue,  after  the  manner  of  cats.  Anyhow,  there  it 
lay,  right  out  of  reach  of  any  one,  a  little  bundle  of 
white  fluff,  and  Down  was  just  beginning  to  feel  that 
there  were  other  things  in  the  world  besides  kittens. 
For  instance,  was  that  scratching  on  the  roof,  think 
you,  a  mouse?  If  so — ?  She  passed  to  the  fire.  It  was 
warm  and  nice;  just  the  very  place  for  a  kitten's  first 
look  at  the  world,  and  there  were  no  troublesome 
people  about ;  not  but  what  she  was  anxious  to  show 
her  kitten  to  Baby  Akbar.  But  who  knew  if  horrid 
Head-nurse  might  not  try  to  catch  it?  But  Head- 
nurse  was  asleep.  Down  whisked  her  tail,  disappeared 
through  the  archway,  and  reappeared  again  gingerly, 
carrying  the  kitten  in  her  mouth.  It  sprawled  in  the 
firelight  and  mewed  piteously.  And  there  was  that 
72 


DOWN'S  STRATAGEM 

scratching  on  the  roof  again  .  .  .  really,  kittens  were 
a  bore  when  one  wanted  to  mouse.  .   .  . 

So  far  it  is  easy  to  follow  Down's  thoughts.  What 
came  next  is  more  difficult.  No  one  can  say  whether 
the  cat  had  really  any  notion  that  danger  to  her  young 
master  was  abroad,  or  whether  she  only  wanted  to 
show  him  her  kitten,  or  whether  she  wanted  it  taken 
care  of — for  Persian  cats,  if  they  kill  a  rat  at  night, 
have  often  been  known  to  jump  on  their  master's  bed 
and  insist  on  his  taking  custody  of  their  prize  lest  it 
should  somehow  come  to  life  again  if  they  left  it 
alone — only  this  was  certain,  Baby  Akbar  woke 
with  a  rough,  red  tongue  licking  his  nose,  and  there, 
on  the  quilt,  was  Down  beside  the  fluffiest,  darlingest 
little  kitten  that  ever  was ! 

He  made  a  grab  at  it  with  his  little  fat  hands. 
Whether  this  frightened  its  anxious  mother  or  whether 
Down  really  had  a  purpose  in  view,  who  can  say? 
Only  this  is  sure :  she  was  off  the  bed  in  a  second.  Miss 
Kitten  in  her  mouth.  A  minute  afterward  Baby 
Akbar  was  off  it  also  with  a  little  crow  of  delight.  But 
the  drugged  nurses  did  not  stir ;  they  were  away  in  the 
Land  of  Dreams.  And  hark!  what  was  that  curious 
noise  outside  the  window,  as  if  something  was  slipping 
down  the  wall?  Perhaps  it  was  that  that  frightened 
Down  once  more;  for  just  as  Baby  Akbar's  hand 
reached  out  to  lay  hold  of  the  kitten,  which  she  had 
set  down  by  the  fire,  Down  snatched  it  up  again  and 

73 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

was  off  with  it  back  to  the  charcoal  bunker,  with  Baby 
Akbar  after  her,  his  face  full  of  solemn  resolve.  He 
meant  to  play  with  that  kitty. 

And  play  with  her  he  did.  At  least,  after  he  disap- 
peared down  the  archway  by  the  fireplace  he  did  not 
come  out  again.  Only  Down  reappeared  and  seated 
herself  at  the  entrance,  her  ears  cocked,  her  eyes  fixed 
on  the  window. 

For  something  very  funny  had  happened  there, 
which,  though  the  flicker  of  the  fire  had  died  down, 
she  could  see  with  her  cat's  eyes. 

A  lad  had  slipped  in,  carrying  the  end  of  a  rope, 
to  which  was  attached  a  network  bag.  And  now,  since 
it  was  dark,  he  was  striking  a  light.  A  feeble  little 
glimmer,  but  sufficient  to  show  the  two  sleeping  nurses 
and  the  comfy  httle  nest  of  quilts  between  them.  But 
it  was  empty ! 

The  boy  seemed  puzzled,  and  went  into  the  inner 
room,  only  to  return  without  what  he  sought.  Then 
he  stole  into  the  outer  room,  but  came  back  softly 
with  a  puzzled  look  on  his  face.  Then  he  began  to 
peer  about  him  on  the  floor,  and  in  the  corners,  hold- 
ing the  feeble  light  in  front  of  him.  Whereupon 
Down,  apparently  to  satisfy  herself  that  her  kitten 
really  was  safe  in  the  corner  of  the  charcoal  bunker 
where  she  had  left  it,  retreated  for  a  moment,  so  that 
as  the  searcher  came  round  he  saw  nothing  but  the 
low,  round  arch.  The  next  he  gave  a  stifled  yell,  for 
74 


DOWN'S  STRATAGEM 

something  white  that  was  all  claws  leaped  right  in 
his  face,  over  he  went  and  out  went  his  light. 

"I  look  no  more,"  he  said,  shivering  as,  after  five 
minutes'  hasty  retreat,  he  stood  on  the  roof  among 
those  who  had  sent  him  down.  "Let  some  one  else 
go;  but  I  tell  you  the  child  is  not  there." 

But  one  of  the  crafty,  cruel  men  had  sharp  wits. 
"Could  he  have  crept  into  the  charcoal  bunker?"  he 
suggested,  and  the  faces  round  him  lit  up.  But  the 
lad's  remained  sullen,  as  he  wiped  the  blood  from 
Down's  scratches. 

"Mayhap,"  he  said.  "But  I  go  not  near  that  cat 
again!" 

So,  as  no  one  else  was  small  enough  to  slip  through 
the  narrow  slits  of  windows,  the  conspirators  could 
only  curse  their  bad  luck. 

Thus  it  came  to  pass  that  the  hours  passed  by  with- 
out further  attempt  at  baby-theft,  while  Foster- 
father  snored  and  Head-nurse  dreamed  the  most 
heavenly  dreams  of  wonderful  court  ceremonials,  and 
all  the  others  were  wrapped  in  the  profoundest  slum- 
bers. 

But  they  all  woke  at  last,  and  once  more  there  was 
the  most  terrible  hullabaloo  until  Foster-mother  recol- 
lected the  kitten  in  the  charcoal  bunker.  Whereupon 
every  one  in  turn  flattened  themselves  on  the  floor 
and  reached  in,  and  Roy  actually  got  his  head  and  one 
shoulder  in;  but  no  one  could  feel  anything  or  find 

75 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

out  how  big  it  was  or  anything  about  it.  Whereupon 
the  two  women  began  mutual  recriminations  and  the 
men  stood  helpless,  when  suddenly  Down  appeared 
with  the  kitten  in  her  mouth,  and  Baby  Akbar,  who 
had  evidently  been  comfortably  asleep  on  the  blanket 
amid  the  straw,  came  crawling  after  his  new  pet. 

*'So  far  so  good!"  said  Foster-father,  who,  noticing 
a  fallen  piece  of  mortar  at  the  window-sill,  had  been 
carefully  examining  certain  signs  and  scratches  both 
without  and  within,  "but  if  I  be  not  much  mistaken, 
some  one  hath  been  through  here  this  night.  And 
that  we  were  all  drugged  ye  must  know  if  the  inside 
of  your  mouths  be  like  mine!  So  we  have  to  thank 
Heaven  and  the  cat  for  an  escape!" 

And  so  they  had,  though  it  was  a  sore  trial  once 
more  to  the  women  to  have  nothing  but  guesswork 
to  go  upon. 

"I  wish  I  knew,"  murmured  poor  Foster-mother 
mournfully,  as  she  watched  Baby  Akbar,  and  Down, 
and  the  kitten,  and  Tumbu,  all  playing  together  be- 
fore the  fire. 

But  once  more  Baby  Akbar  was  silent,  and  Down 
told  nobody — unless  it  was  Tumbu.  Perhaps  he  did 
know,  because  he  allowed  Down's  kitten  to  play  with 
his  tail! 


76 


CHAPTER  IX 

SPRING 

Winter  passed  to  spring  and  spring  to  early  sum- 
mer, and  yet  no  certain  news  came  of  King  Humayon 
or  Queen  Humeeda.  Foster-father  almost  gave  up 
hope,  yet  he  said  little,  though  he  took  counsel  with 
Old  Faithful,  and  he  in  his  turn  consulted  the  old 
mountain  chief,  who  at  the  assemblage  had  been  the 
first  to  cry,  ''Long  live  the  Heir-to-Empire." 

But  the  old  man  shook  his  head.  The  times  were 
new,  he  said ;  very  few  people  remembered,  as  he  did, 
the  old  ways,  the  old  Kings.  But  for  the  sake  of 
Babar  the  brave  they  might  always  count  on  his  sword 
and  the  sabres  of  fifty  or  more  of  his  followers.  So, 
if  the  worst  came  to  the  worst,  they  were  welcome  to 
an  asylum  in  his  eagle's  eyrie  of  a  fortress,  where  at 
any  rate  they  could  all  die  together  fighting  for  the 
King;  and  what  more  did  any  brave  man  want? 

This  was  not  much  consolation  to  Foster-father, 
who  felt  that  there  was  nothing  to  be  done,  save  by 
every  means  in  his  power,  to  curry  favour  with  the 
Princess  Sultanum. 

But,  indeed,  the  little  Heir-to-Empire  made  himself 
friends  wherever  he  went ;  they  could  not  help  liking 
the  frank  little  fellow  who  spoke  to  them  so  freely, 
with  a  certain  grave  dignity  of  his  own.    For  by  the 

77 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

time  the  peach  gardens  around  Kandahar  lay  like 
clouds  of  pink  and  white  about  the  old  domed  city, 
little  Prince  Akbar  was  in  looks  and  ways  a  child  of 
three  or  even  four;  so  big  and  strong  was  he.  He 
spoke  perfectl}^  in  his  childish  way,  with  great  empha- 
sis and  a  curious,  soft  burr  over  his  r's  and  h's.  And 
he  actually  tried  to  wrestle  with  his  cousin  Ibrahim, 
who  was,  however,  rather  a  puny  boy,  despite  the  fact 
that  he  was  three  years  older  than  the  little  Heir-to- 
Empire. 

But  with  Roy  as  playmate  Akbar  began  all  sorts 
of  games.  There  was  a  high,  walled  peach  garden 
not  far  from  the  bastion,  where  the  little  Prince  used 
to  be  allowed  to  go ;  and  there,  during  the  long  sunny 
hours,  the  Rajput  lad,  to  whom  such  things  were  all 
curiousty  familiar,  taught  the  child  how  to  ride  on 
Tumbu's  back,  and  how  to  hold  a  spear.  Aye!  and 
to  take  a  tent  peg,  too ;  the  peg  being  only  a  soft  car- 
rot stuck  in  the  earth!  But  the  great  game  was  shoot- 
ing with  a  bow  and  arrow,  and  in  this,  before  spring 
passed  to  summer,  the  pupil  was  a  match  with  his 
teacher  except  in  strength;  for,  from  the  very  begin- 
ning, Akbar  showed  himself  steady  and  straight  as  a 
shot;  so  it  is  no  wonder  he  grew  up  to  be  the  finest 
marksman  in  India.  But  it  would  take  too  long  to 
tell  all  the  games  they  played,  all  the  manly  sports 
which  the  little  prince  learned  without  any  difficulty. 
There  was  a  shallow  marble  tank  in  the  middle  of  the 
78 


SPRING 

garden,  where  he  took  to  the  water  like  a  duck,  and 
would  lie  on  his  back  and  kick  and  shout  with  laughter 
as  the  tank  got  rough  with  waves,  till  Foster-mother 
would  beg  him  not  to  drown,  as  the  water  splashed 
over  him  high  in  the  air. 

But  Foster-father  always  reproved  her  for  her 
fears.  "Leave  the  lad  to  learn  King's  ways,"  he  said, 
"and  thank  Heaven  the  Rajput  foundling  is  here  to 
teach  him.  Think  you  I  could  tumble  head  over  heels 
in  air  or  water  or  ride  bareback  standing  on  one 
leg?" 

"No,  indeed!"  would  reply  Head-nurse,  who  stifled 
her  terrors  from  a  sense  of  duty,  "none,  seeing  thy 
figure,  friend,  would  ask  so  much  of  thee." 

Then,  when  Akbar  grew  tired,  Roy  would  sit  lean- 
ing his  back  against  a  peach  tree  so  as  to  make  a  soft 
pillow  for  his  little  master,  and  Akbar  would  lean 
against  him  and  listen  to  endless  stories  while  the  soft 
fresh  breeze  stole  over  the  garden  w^all,  and  sent  show- 
ers of  pink  peach  petals  on  both  the  boys.  And  some- 
times the  little  Prince,  outwearied,  would  fall  asleep, 
and  then  Roy  would  sit  still  as  a  mouse,  gently  flick- 
ing away  with  the  end  of  his  muslin  turban  the  blos- 
soms that  fell  on  the  little  sleeper's  face.  But  his 
thoughts  would  be  busy,  wondering  above  other  things 
why  it  was  that,  do  what  he  would,  he  could  not  help 
when  they  were  alone  at  play  sometimes  calling  the 
Heir-to-Empire  "little  brother."     It  was  dreadfully 

79 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

wrong  of  him,  of  course,  and  Head-nurse  would 
rightly  cuff  Iiis  ears  if  she  overheard  it! 

Then  Akhar  would  wake  and  call  imperiously  for 
some  favourite  story,  and  as  often  as  not  it  would  be 
the  tale  of  "How  Rajah  Rasalu  swung  the  Seventy 
Maidens." 

And  Roy  would  reply  submissively:  "It  is  ordered. 
Highness!"  and  begin: 

"Now  Rajah  Rasalu,  soft  heart  and  strong,  heard 
a  pitiful  voice  as  he  rode  along.  'Oh  traveller!  trav- 
eller! turn  aside,  and  help  God's  creature,'  it  moaned 
and  cried.  So  the  Prince  turned  straight  and  saw 
that  a  fire  had  caught  a  bush,  blazing  higher  and 
higher,  while  a  tiny  cricket  lay  gasping  for  breath, 
half-scorched,  half-choked,  and  nigh  to  its  death. 
Then  Rajah  Rasalu,  soft  hearted  and  stout,  put  his 
hand  in  the  fire  and  snatched  it  out !  And  the  cricket 
drew  forth  a  feeler  and  said:  'Take  this,  my  preserver, 
'twill  bring  you  aid;  should  any  thing  ever  prove 
troublesome,  burn  this  in  the  fire  and  I  will  come.' 
Then  Rasalu  laughed  with  a  great  big  laugh,  'I  thank 
you,  weakling!  But  none  of  your  chaff!  You 
couldn't  help  me  I'll  go  bail.'  So  he  rode  on  careless 
o'er  hill  and  dale,  a  glittering  knight  in  his  shining 
mail,  till  he  came  to  the  city  of  King  Surkap,  whom 
he'd  sworn  to  kill  with  his  sword  so  sharp.  Now  as 
he  rode  through  a  garden  gay.  Seventy  JNIaidens 
barred  the  way;  Seventy  Maidens  young  and  fair, 
80 


SPRING 

with  flowers  decking  their  golden  hair.  Seventy 
daughters  of  the  king,  come  out  to  play  and  laugh  and 
swing  and  jibe  at  the  stripling  who'd  sworn  to  slay 
their  father,  the  mightiest  king  of  this  day.  But  the 
youngest  maid  had  a  heart  of  gold,  and  when  she  saw 
Rasalu  so  bold,  and  strong  and  handsome  riding  to 
death,  on  his  horse  Iraki,  she  caught  her  breath,  and 
whispered  to  him  as  he  passed  her  way: 

"  'Fair  prince  on  thy  charger  so  gray, 
Turn  thee  back^  turn  thee  back. 
If  thou  lowerest  thy  lance  for  the  fray. 
Thy  head  will  be  forfeit  to-day. 
Dost  love  life?  then,  stranger!  I  pray 
Turn  thee  back — turn  thee  back.' 

"But  Rasalu  smiled  in  the  maiden's  face,  and  drew 
his  rein  for  an  instant's  space,  while  he  gave  her 
answer  with  courtly  grace:  'Fair  maiden,  I  come 
from  afar,  sworn  conqueror  in  love  and  in  war.  Thy 
father  my  coming  will  rue,  for  his  head  in  four  pieces 
I'll  hew.  Then  forth  as  a  bridegroom  I'll  ride  with 
you,  little  maid,  as  my  bride.' 

"Now  at  these  words,  and  his  face  so  kind,  and 
strong,  and  brave,  the  maiden's  mind  fluttered,  the 
blood  through  her  heartstrings  whirled,  she  felt  she 
could  follow  him  through  the  world;  but  her  sixty- 
nine  sisters  were  jealous  and  cried:  *Not  so  fast, 
young  man !    If  she  be  your  bride,  you  be  our  younger 

81 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

brother,  beside!  So  do  our  bidding  or  go  on  your 
way.'  'Fair  sisters,'  quoth  he,  'let  me  hear  j^our  sayl' 
Now  the  sisters  vowed  he  should  not  succeed,  so  they 
took  a  whole  hundred-weight  of  seed,  as  fine  as  the 
hundred-wxight  of  sand  they  mixed  it  with,  then  gave 
command:  'If  you  wish  to  marry  our  sister,  sir,  take 
the  seed  from  the  sand  without  demur.' 

"Then  Rajah  Rasalu  stood  aghast;  but  he  thought 
of  the  cricket's  gift  at  last,  and  taking  it  out  of  his 
pocket  thrust  it  into  the  fire,  and  a  cloud  as  dust 
showed  in  the  sky  and  the  distant  whirr  of  thousands 
of  wings  caused  the  air  to  stir,  as,  dark'ning  the  day 
like  a  fun'ral  pall,  a  flight  of  crickets  appeared  at  the 
call.  'What  is  our  task?'  asked  his  friend  with  a 
laugh;  'only  that?  I've  brought  too  many  by  half!' 
So  they  set  to  work  with  a  will  indeed,  till  the  sand 
lay  separate  from  the  seed,  and  sixty-nine  maidens 
pouted  and  frowned  as  they  wondered  what  new  task 
could  be  found,  to  puzzle  Rasalu  and  keep  him  there 
a  slave  to  the  wishes  of  maidens  fair.  'Now  swing  us 
all,  sir,  one  by  one,  when  we  grow  tired  yonv  task  is 
done!' — they  laughed  in  their  sleeve,  for  thej^  knew 
right  well,  that  when  they'd  be  tired,  none  could  tell! 

"But  Rasalu  laughed:  'What!  seventy  girls — for 
my  little  bride  is  the  pearl  of  pearls — and  only  one 
man  to  swing  the  lot!  Shall  I  spend  my  Hfe  in  such 
silly  rot?  No!  into  one  swing  the  seventy  go;  I'll 
fasten  the  rope  to  my  mighty  bow,  and  shoot  an  arrow 
82 


SPRING 

for  all  I  know,  so  in  with  you,  girls,  sit  all  in  a  row, 
and  don't  be  frightened,  my  little  dears,  I'll  swing  till 
you're  tired,  so  have  no  fears.' 

"Then  the  seventy  clambered  into  one  swing — so 
merry,  so  careless,  their  voices  ring.  And  Rasalu 
stood  in  his  shining  array,  as  merry  and  careless  as 
happy  as  they.  He  fastened  the  ropes  to  his  mighty 
bow,  and  bent  till  it  would  no  further  go ;  then  with  a 
twang  he  loosed  the  string,  and  like  an  arrow  the 
laden  swing  with  its  burden  of  seventy  maidens  fair, 
shot  like  an  arrow  into  the  air.  Merry  and  careless 
with  laugh  and  smile,  up  in  the  sky  for  many  a  mile ; 
like  a  soaring  bird  in  the  distant  blue,  while  merry 
and  careless,  and  tall  and  true,  Rasalu  waited  upon 
the  plain,  till  the  swing  swung  back  to  its  place  again. 
Then  he  out  with  his  sword  and  laughed  anew,  'Ye 
have  had  a  fine  ride,  ye  gigghng  crew;  enough  and 
to  spare,  so  out  with  you  there !'  Then  he  severed  the 
ropes  with  one  mighty  sweep,  and  the  seventy  maidens 
fell  in  a  heap ;  and  some  were  broken  and  some  were 
bruised,  and  the  only  one  that  was  not  ill-used  was 
the  youngest  maid,  for  she  did  not  drop  till  the  very 
last,  so  she  fell  on  top!" 

And  here  Prince  Akbar  used  always  to  laugh 
gravely  and  say:  "Glad  she  didn't  tumble  down 
really,  for  she  was  a  nice  little  girl." 

One  day  when  the  peach  blossoms  had  all  floated 
away,  leaving  in  their  place  grey-green  fluffy  ovals 

83 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

that  by.-and-bye  would  be  luscious  ripe  fruits,  Foster- 
father  arrived  in  a  great  state  of  excitement  just  as 
Rasalu  had  finished  swinging  his  Seventy  oNIaidens. 

"News,  news!"  he  cried;  "real  news  at  last;  and 
thank  Heaven  they  are  good!  My  master,  the  King, 
has  not  only  secured  shelter,  but  help,  and  hath  writ- 
ten to  his  brother.  Prince  Askurry,  advising  him  not 
to  listen  to  ill  advice,  but  to  give  in  his  allegiance  at 
once,  when  all  shall  be  forgotten.  In  token  of  which 
clemency  he  is  sending  to  his  still-dearly-beloved 
brother,  Her  Royal  Highness  the  Princess  Bakshee 
Bani  Begum,  that  she  may  be  a  companion  to  her 
half-brother,  the  Heir-to-Empire." 

Prince  Akbar,  who  was  leaning  on  Roy's  breast, 
suddenly  sat  up.  "Is  that  my  sister?"  he  asked 
eagerly,  "is  she  a  nice  little  girl  like  Rasalu's  bride?" 

Head-nurse  laughed.  "Nice  enough  I'll  warrant, 
though  I  never  saw  her;  she  has  been  since  she  was 
born,  six  years  past,  with  her  mother's  people;  but 
so  long  as  they  send  no  fine  ladies  of  nurses  with  her 
she  is  welcome." 

Little  Prince  Akbar  stood  up  and  stretched  him- 
self, and  looked  at  Head-nurse  critically. 

"Akka  will  welcome  her,  and  Akka  will  tell  you  to 
be  her  nurse,  and  Akka  will  swing  her  a  great  big 
swing." 

So  far  as  he  was  concerned  that  settled  the  ques- 
tion ;  but  up  at  the  Court  there  were  endless  question- 
84 


SPRING 

ings  of  heart.  Prince  Askurry  was,  as  ever,  in  two 
minds  as  to  what  he  should  do.  Cruel  brother  Kum- 
ran,  who  was  Governor  at  Kabul,  pressed  his  advice 
to  stand  firm,  to  send  the  child  to  him,  to  let  him  show 
King  Humayon  that  paid  Persian  troops  could  not 
stand  up  against  Indian  ones.  But  Princess  Sul- 
tanum  had  really  become  fond  of  the  little  Heir-to- 
Empire,  and  felt  sure  that  if  they  only  played  their 
cards  carefully  the  king,  out  of  gratitude,  would  con- 
sent to  a  betrothal  between  his  son  and  her  little 
daughter  Amina.  And  in  the  end  the  wife's  coun- 
sel prevailed.  So  a  better  lodgment  was  found  for 
the  royal  children  in  an  old  palace  surrounded  by  a 
lovely  garden,  and  here,  just  as  the  roses  were  begin- 
ning to  bloom,  little  Prince  Akbar,  dressed  in  his  best, 
stood  awaiting  his  sister's  arrival.  He  had  insisted 
on  having,  like  Rajah  Rasalu,  a  coat  of  mail;  so 
Foster-mother  had  made  him  a  tight-fitting  corselet 
of  silver  tissue,  in  which  he  looked  very  fine  indeed, 
as  he  stood  brandishing  a  wooden  sword  covered  with 
tin  foil. 

But  when  the  red  and  gold  bedecked  camel  did 
finally  come  up  the  marble-paved  pathway  with  silent 
soft  elastic  swing,  little  Akbar  forgot  all  about  the 
part  he  was  playing,  and  when  he  saw  his  sister,  just 
ran  up  to  her  and  hugged  her  tight,  and  said  breath- 
lessly: "Ah!  you  are  a  nice  little  girl!" 

And  a  very  nice  little  girl  she  was !    Very  small  for 

85 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

her  age,  with  a  little  oval  delicate  face,  hig  hazel  eyes, 
and  hrownish  hair  all  plaited  in  tiny,  tiny  little  plaits 
on  her  forehead. 

And  she  was  dressed  just  like  a  grown-up,  with 
little  ear-rings  and  wristlets  and  anklets  and  necklaces 
and  rings,  with  the  dearest,  daintiest  of  flimsey  gauze 
veils  set  with  little  silver  stars  wound  all  about  her! 
Never,  said  Head-nurse,  had  been  such  a  darling  little 
marionette,  and  when  the  small  person  fell  gracefully 
at  her  brother's  feet  and  begged  his  favour  in  a  little 
piping  voice,  that  stern  believer  in  court  etiquette  was 
perfectly  enchanted. 

"It  will  be  a  real  boon  to  the  First-Gentleman-of- 
the- World,  the  Courtly-one-of-Courts,  etc.,  etc.,  to 
have  the  society  of  his  equals,"  she  said  with  a  dark- 
ling look  at  Princess  Sultanum's  Head-nurse,  who 
had  brought  Prince  Ibrahim  and  Baby  Amina  to 
welcome  their  cousin. 

But,  after  all,  Bakshee  Bani  Begum  did  not  turn 
out  so  demure  as  she  looked!  Indeed,  when  Head- 
nurse  was  not  by,  she  was  a  regular  tomboy ;  and  after 
a  whole  morning  spent  in  most  lady-like  fashion  either 
playing  with  her  dolls,  or  stringing  beads,  while 
Down,  the  cat,  on  her  lap  blinked  and  purred  and 
stared  out  on  the  world  with  her  big  blue  eyes  and  her 
httle  white  feet  tucked  well  inside,  she  would,  when 
the  women  retired  to  get  ready  the  midday  meal, 
spring  up  like  a  squirrel,  scattering  beads  and  cats  as 
86 


SPRING 

if  they  were  of  no  account!  Then  the  garden  would 
re-echo  to  children's  laughter. 

And  she  would  let  Mirak,  as  she  elected  to  call  her 
brother,  swing  her  for  hours,  but  she  obstinately  re- 
fused to  tumble  down ! 

"But,  Bija,"  expostulated  the  little  lad,  "the  prin- 
cess did  tumble  down  in  the  story." 

"I  am  not  a  princess  in  a  story/'  said  Bija  calmly, 
"I  am  Her  Royal  Highness  Princess  Bakshee  Bani 
Begum." 


87 


CHAPTER  X 

THE  NIGHT  OF  RECORD 

So  THE  summer  days  passed  and  winter  set  in  once 
more.  Though  more  satisfied,  Foster-father  felt  still 
that  safety  depended  on  King  Humayon's  success  or 
failure. 

So,  whenever  one  of  the  long  files  of  camels  tied 
together  in  a  string,  head-and-tail,  showed  on  the  hill 
road  above  Kandahar,  he  was  off  to  the  halting-place 
outside  the  city  to  see  what  news  it  had  collected  in  its 
march  from  Hindustan;  for  caravans  in  those  days 
were  the  postmen. 

And  sometimes  he  heard  one  thing,  and  sometimes 
another,  but  as  often  as  not  he  returned  as  he  went, 
without  any  remedy  but  patience. 

"Anyhow  the  child  grows  in  stature  and  strength," 
Head-nurse  would  say,  "and  our  present  lodging  is 
better  than  our  last!" 

Which  was  true;  for  the  old  house  of  three  stories 
which  they  now  inliabited  was  full  of  little  rooms  lead- 
ing one  out  of  the  other  like  a  rabbit-warren.  And  if 
there  was  no  furniture  in  them,  so  much  the  better  for 
the  children's  games  of  "I  espy"  and  "Touch  who 
Touch  can." 

For  Bija  and  Mirak  played  such  games  with  infi- 
nite zest.  As  Head-nurse  had  foretold,  the  coming 
88 


THE  NIGHT  OF  RECORD 

of  his  little  sister  had  been  an  immense  gain  to  the 
Heir-to-Empire;  not  only  in  manners,  but  also  in  his 
outlook  upon  life.  For  Princess  Bakshee  Bani 
Begum  was  a  very  determined  small  person,  who  did 
not  in  the  least  see  why  the  elder  sister  of  a  boy  should 
give  way  to  him  in  all  things,  simply  because  he  was 
Heir-to-Empire. 

"I  won't  have  it,  Mirak,"  she  would  say  with  a 
stamp  of  her  little  foot;  "you  shall  not  break  my  doll's 
head  just  because  you  want  to." 

So  Prince  Akbar,  who  was  full  of  sound  common 
sense,  began  to  think  she  had  reason  on  her  side ;  and 
this  was  of  great  advantage  to  him,  for  with  Head- 
nurse,  and  Foster-mother  and  the  others,  he  stood  a 
great  chance  of  being  spoiled. 

And  after  a  time  he  became  quite  devoted  to  the 
prim  little  maid,  who,  for  all  her  primness  in  general, 
could  be  as  wild  as  a  hawk  on  occasion. 

And  out  of  that  arose  an  incident  which,  unfortu- 
nately, turned  Princess  Sultanum  against  the  little 
lad  and  so  endangered  his  safety.  It  came  about  in 
this  way.  Prince  Askurry's  son  Yakoob  was,  as  has 
been  said,  three  years  older  than  Akbar,  a  lanky, 
rather  weedy  lad-ling  of  nearly  six.  Now  Prince 
Askurry  was  himself  a  noted  wrestler,  and  was  de- 
termined his  son  should  be  one  also.  So  he  had  the 
boy  carefully  taught,  and  set  a  good  deal  of  store  by 
the  quickness  of  the  little  fellow  in  learning  the  grips, 

89 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

and  how  to  trip  up  an  adversary.  On  high  days  and 
hohdays,  indeed,  Prince  Askurry  and  his  wife  used 
often  to  amuse  themselves  by  seeing  the  discomfiture 
of  other  less  experienced  children  who  were  set  up  to 
compete  with  the  young  wrestler.  Baby  Akbar  had 
been  one  of  these,  and  being  so  much  younger,  he  had 
always  gone  down  before  Yakoob's  skill;  but  he  had 
always  taken  his  overthrow  in  good  part,  though 
Head-nurse  had  felt  as  if  she  could  not  keep  her  fin- 
gers off  the  victor.  It  was  not  fair,  she  would  say 
afterwards,  to  match  a  baby  of  two  with  a  child  of 
six,  and  then  she  would  try  to  hug  the  vanquished 
Heir-to-Empire  and  cover  him  with  kisses;  but  Ak- 
bar, always  independent,  resented  this.  "Akbar 
tumble  hi7}i  down  some  day,"  he  would  say  philo- 
sophically; and  indeed  there  seemed  every  chance  of 
it,  for,  mere  baby  as  he  was,  there  was  more  promise 
of  future  strength  in  his  little  finger  than  in  Yakoob's 
whole  body. 

X  Now,  as  winter  came  on,  the  children  were  driven 
indoors  for  their  play,  and  Old  Faithful  at  their  ear- 
nest request,  rigged  up  a  swing  in  a  large  empty  room 
in  the  palace,  and  here  Princess  Bija  would  be  swung 
hke  the  Seventy  Maidens,  until  Prince  Akbar  wearied 

,  .of  swinging  her;  and  knowing  that  nothing  would 
induce  his  elder  sister  to  tumble  down  like  the  prin- 

.   cesses  in  the  story,  would  say  quite  plaintively: 

"Please,    Bija,    get    down;    I'm    tired    of    being 
90 


THE  NIGHT  OF  RECORD 

Rasalu,"  when  the  httle  maid  would  descend  grace- 
fully and  they  would  play  at  something  else. 

But  one  day,  just  after  the  New  Year,  Prince 
Yakoob  came  to  spend  the  day  with  his  cousins,  and 
the  children  fell  to  acting  the  adventures  of  Rajah 
Rasalu ;  Yakoob,  as  the  guest,  playing  the  hero's  part. 

They  got  through  several  of  them  quite  success- 
fully. Princess  Bija  making  a  spirited  carpenter's  lad 
and  killing  his  dragon  with  great  vigour,  while  the 
Heir-to-Empire,  disguising  his  deep  baby  voice  in  a 
high  squeak,  doubled  the  parts  of  the  seventy-nine 
maidens  and  the  cricket.  So  all  went  merry  as  a  mar- 
riage bell  until  Rasalu  had  to  order  the  giggling  crew 
out  of  the  swing. 

Then,  of  course,  Bija  refused;  whereupon  Yakoob, 
a  spoiled  boy,  cast  aside  the  tinsel-covered  wooden 
sword,  and  whipped  out  from  his  belt  a  toy  dagger 
his  father  had  given  him  that  morning.  It  was  not 
very  sharp,  but  very  little  cuts  a  taut  rope,  and  one 
furious  slash  severed  some  of  the  strands,  the  weight 
of  the  two  children  did  the  rest,  and  there  they  were 
both  on  the  marble  floor! 

And  unfortunately  the  "pearl  of  pearls,"  Rajah 
Rasalu's  bride,  did  not  fall  on  top.  She  fell  under- 
neath the  Heir-to-Empire,  and  the  Heir-to-Empire 
was  heavy!  So  there  was  her  poor  little  lip  all  cut 
and  her  pretty  little  nose  all  bleeding.  Then  two 
Head-nurses  rushed  in,  and  two  Foster-mothers,  and 

91 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

ever  so  many  pairs  of  nursery  attendants,  each  taking 
the  part  of  their  respective  nurshngs,  and  there  was  a 
terrible  to-do,  for,  of  course,  one  Head-nurse  said  it 
was  the  fault  of  the  other  Head-nurse,  and  so  on.  In 
fact  peace  did  not  return  until  the  party  separated 
and  the  offender.  Prince  Yakoob,  was  being  joggetted 
back  to  his  mother  by  his  excited  attendants,  while 
Princess  Bija  was  having  her  swollen  nose  soothed  by 
cold  water.  She  did  not  cry  much,  but  she  was  ter- 
ribly indignant  with  every  one,  including  her  brother. 

He  couldn't  have  prevented  his  cousin  from  cutting 
the  rope,  of  course,  but  he  might  have  made  his 
cousin's  nose  bleed  also!  If  she  hadn't  been  other- 
wise occupied  she  could  have  done  it  herself;  she  was 
quite  sure  she  could;  or  at  any  rate  have  done  some- 
thing quite  as  disagreeable! 

She  looked  very  fierce  as  she  spoke,  while  Akbar 
listened  with  grieved  attention.  In  fact,  what  Bija 
would  have  done,  had  Head-nurse  not  had  her  in  her 
arms  cossetting  her,  became  quite  a  subject  of  conver- 
sation between  the  two  children,  Bija  sitting  de- 
murely threading  beads  and  inventing  new  methods 
of  just  punishment,  and  the  Heir-to-Empire  lolling 
on  the  floor  pretending  to  sharpen  his  tinfoil  sword, 
and  interposing  objections  such  as,  "But  you  couldn't 
do  that,  Bija,  you're  not  strong  enough,"  or  ''That 
wouldn't  be  fair,  Bija,  for  he  only  hurt  you  a  little, 
you  know."  For  Akbar  was  born  with  a  sense  of  f  air- 
92 


THE  NIGHT  OF  RECORD 

play  and  justice  which  never  forsook  him,  because  he 
always  gave  it  fair  play. 

So  the  idea  of  somehow  getting  the  better  of 
Yakoob  became  a  fixed  one  in  the  little  lad's  mind 
until  an  opportunity  for  action  came  to  him. 

It  was  about  a  month  afterwards,  on  the  "Festival 
of  Record";  that  is  to  say,  the  day  when  good  Mo- 
hammedans pray  for  guidance  during  the  coming 
year,  and  believe  that  God's  Angel,  accompanied  by 
the  spirits  of  their  dead  ancestors,  appears  on  earth  to 
judge  the  record  of  the  past  year,  and  write  on  the 
forehead  of  each  man  and  woman  and  child  what  re- 
ward or  punishment  is  deserved  in  the  next.  In  the 
evening,  thousands  of  little  lamps  are  lit,  so  that 
there  shall  be  no  darkness  anywhere,  but  all  things 
shall  be  made  manifest,  and  when  the  little  platters  of 
sweets  and  food  are  set  out  lest  any  of  the  spirits, 
who  come  to  plead  for  their  descendants,  should  feel 
hungry,  it  is  a  very  solemn  affair;  but  the  day  is 
generally  spent  in  amusement. 

So  Princess  Sultanum  arranged  an  entertainment, 
and,  as  usual,  there  was  to  be  a  bout  of  wrestling  be- 
tween her  son  and  some  little  companions,  amongst 
them  the  Heir-to-Empire.  Head-nurse  was  furious, 
of  course.  The  show  was  invented,  she  declared,  to 
disgrace  the  Mighty-in-Pomp,  the  Pole-star  of  the 
Universe,  etc.,  etc. 

Akbar  himself  took  it  very  complacently  and  al- 

93 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

lowed  himself  to  be  undressed  and  oiled  all  over,  so 
as  to  make  a  grip  very  hard ;  for  these  are  the  Indian 
customs.  And  a  very  sturdy  specimen  he  looked  as 
he  stood  up  and  crossed  his  arms  and  then  slapped 
himself  with  resounding  slaps  before  crossing  them 
again;  also  after  Indian  fashion,  for  so  much  he  had 
learned  of  wrestling. 

Then  the  signal  was  given,  and  Yakoob,  as  was  his 
wont,  began,  in  imitation  of  grown-up  wrestlers,  to 
steal  an  advance  on  his  adversary. 

But  Akbar  would  none  of  that.  Whether,  watch- 
ing real  wrestling,  he  had  noticed  the  method  of  at- 
tack he  employed,  or  whether  Roy  had  taught  him,  or 
whether  he  got  it  out  of  his  own  head,  does  not  matter; 
but  the  little  fellow  rushed  forward  furiously  and 
charging  like  a  butting  ram,  caught  his  cousin  full  in 
the  stomach,  then  making  a  snatch  at  his  ankle 
tripped  him  up.  So  there  in  a  second  was  Yakoob 
on  his  back,  and  Akbar,  breathless  but  triumphant,  on 
top  of  him. 

"Now  you've  tumbled  down,"  remarked  the  Heir- 
to-Empire  suavely,  as,  astride  his  cousin's  prostrate 
body,  he  paused  for  breath  ere  getting  up. 

Of  course,  some  people  said  it  wasn't  fair;  but 
others  admitted  that  though  not  the  imlite  style  of 
wrestling,  such  a  method  was  strictly  within  the  rules. 
All,  however,  admired  the  big,  bold,  strong  little 
Heir-to-Empire ;  all  but  his  aunt  and  uncle ;  and  the 
94 


THE  NIGHT  OF  RECORD 

former  bid  Head-nurse  take  away  her  young  savage 
at  once,  while  the  latter's  crafty  face,  uneasy  before, 
settled  into  a  scowl. 

But  Head-nurse  could  hardly  contain  her  joy,  even 
when  Foster-father  shook  his  wise  old  head  and  said 
he  would  not  have  had  it  happen  for  all  the  wealth  of 
the  world,  for  of  late,  if  he  were  not  much  mistaken, 
things  had  been  shaping  ill  for  his  young  master,  and 
that  very  morning  a  secret  messenger  had  come  in 
from  Kabul.  What  it  might  portend  who  could  say; 
but  it  was  bad  fortune  the  child  should  lose  favour  at 
Court  to  such  slight  purpose. 

"Slight,  indeed!"  sniffed  Head-nurse.  "Is  it  not 
something  to  have  shown  that  woman  that  her  brat 
cannot  stand  up  before  true  Kingship?" 

"I  would  it  were  so,  woman,"  rephed  Foster- 
father,  "but  a  child  under  three  with  but  two  old  men 
and  two  boys  for  protection  cannot  show  much 
fight." 

Head-nurse  tossed  her  head.  "So  we  women  are 
not  to  count—"  she  began;  but  Baby  Akbar  had  been 
listening  seriously  and  now  put  in  with  his  deep  child- 
ish voice,  and  a  wise  little  shake  of  the  head: 

"And  there's  Tumbu  and  Down,  too;  they  can  bite 
and  scratch  beautifully  for  me  when  they  like." 

Whereupon  Foster-mother  caught  him  up,  and 
wept,  and  swore  that  Heaven  must  and  would  pro- 
tect such  a  heart's  darling. 

95 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

Perhaps  it  was  this  conversation  which  put  the  idea 
of  getting  help  into  the  children's  heads,  but  after  a 
time  it  was  evident  they  had  some  plan  between  them, 
for  after  watching  the  women  light  hundreds  of  little 
lamps,  and  set  out  a  quantity  of  tiny  platters  full  of 
sweets,  they  stole  off  by  themselves  to  an  empty  room 
which  was  almost  dark  and  began  to  whisper. 

"I  think  it  had  better  be  grand-dad,"  said  the  Heir- 
to-Empire  gravely,  "  'cos  my  father  isn't  dead  yet, 
and  they  must  be  deaders,  you  know,  if  they  are  really 
to  help." 

"And  we'll  take  the  little  summer  room  at  the  very 
top  of  the  house,  INIirak,  so's  we'll  be  able  to  stop  him 
on  his  wa}^  down,  'case  any  one  else  has  got  a  platter 
for  him,"  said  Bija  the  practical.  "Now,  Mirak,  I'll 
fetch  the  sweets  if  you'll  get  some  lamps.  They  won't 
be  missed,  you  know,  if  we  take  them  betwixt  and 
between." 

After  that  there  was  much  secret  hurrying  up  and 
down  stairs  and  secret  gurglings  of  delight  as  the 
preparations  advanced. 

"Oh,  Mirak!  Won't  it  be  lovely?  He's  sure  to 
come  in  when  he  sees  it!"  said  the  little  girl,  clasping 
her  hands.  "And  Old  Faithful  was  saying  that 
Grand-dad  Babar  was  as  good  as  twenty  other  men 
in  a  fight,  so  then  you'll  be  quite  safe." 

But  INIirak's  face  was  solemn.  "If  Grand-dad 
doesn't  know  it's  for  him  he  won't  come  in,  and  he 
96 


THE  NIGHT  OF  RECORD 

won't  eat  the  sweets  either.  It's  greedy  to  eat  sweets 
as  doesn't  belong  to  you,  and  he  wasn't  greedy.  Old 
Faithful  says  he  wasn't.    He  was  a  real  King." 

''Don't  you  think  he  might  be  greedy  just  to  help 
you?"  suggested  Eija  mournfully;  but  after  think- 
ing a  httle  she  clapped  her  hands.  "I  have  it,  Mirak! 
If  his  name  was  on  it  that  would  do !  I  think  I  could 
write  'Ba-ba.'  It's  only  the  two  first  letters,  you  see, 
and  I  know  them;  and  you  could  prick  yourself  for 
some  blood  to  write  with,  and  I  could  use  my  little 
finger  as  a  pen.    It's  very,  very  tiddly  wee." 

It  was,  indeed!  and  Mirak  sat  large-eyed  in  ad- 
miration of  his  sister's  ingenuity,  while  she,  mistress 
of  the  situation,  did  this  and  that  until  even  she  was 
satisfied.  And  really  the  little  arched  and  domed 
cupola  set  in  Eastern  fashion  on  the  roof,  looked  quite 
pretty  with  the  little  glittering  lights  in  a  square  on 
the  white  marble  floor,  and  the  platter  of  sweets 
placed  in  the  middle  of  the  square,  whereon  in 
smeared  red  letters  showed  this: 

BA  BA 

"And  now,  Mirak!"  chattered  Bija,  "we'll  go  down 
and  go  to  bed  like  good  boys  and  girls,  and  then  when 
the  others  are  saying  their  prayers  and  going  to  sleep 
we  can  come  up  again  and  sleep  here." 

97 


THE  ADVEXTURES  OF  AKBAR 

"Won't  it  be  very  cold,  Bija?"  asked  JNIirak,  whose 
little  nose  was  half  frost-bitten  already,  for  a  cold 
wind  was  blowing  off  the  snow  hills. 

"We  will  bring  quilts,"  said  the  little  lady  with  a 
superior  air. 

So,  about  an  hour  afterwards,  after  the  children 
had  been  put  to  bed  and  their  elders  had  begun  the 
serious  work  of  watching  and  waiting  and  dozing 
through  the  night,  two  little  figures,  well  wrapped  up 
in  quilted  cotton  gowns  and  dragging  quilted  cotton 
blankets  behind  them,  stole  up  the  stairs  to  the  roof 
of  the  house. 

"I'm  going  to  ask  God  to  let  him  come,"  said  Baby 
Akbar  solemnly.  So  they  both  touched  the  cold  mar- 
ble floor  with  their  warm  little  foreheads  and  said: 

"Please  Great  God!  Let  our  grand-dad  Babar 
come  and  take  care  of  us,  and  be  kind  to  us,  and  not 
let  the  Angel  write  nasty  things  on  our  foreheads  for 
this  next  year !" 

Then  they  cuddled  themselves  closely  together  in 
the  blankets  and  were  soon  fast  asleep. 

So  fast  asleep  that  even  when,  after  the  short  hulla- 
balloo  which  followed  on  the  discover}^  that  the\^  were 
not  in  their  beds,  they  were  traced  to  the  roof,  they 
did  not  thoroughly  wake  up,  but  were  carried  down 
again  without  knowing  much  about  it. 

"Shall  I  blow  out  the  lights?"  asked  Roy,  as  Head- 
nurse  prepared  to  descend  also. 
98 


THE  NIGHT  OF  RECORD 

Head-nurse  looked  round  to  Foster-father  for  his 
opinion. 

*'No!"  he  said  shortly,  "leave  them!  The  children 
have  asked  some  one  to  eat  those  sweets.  Let  be! 
They  may  want  all  the  help  they  can  get." 

So  all  the  night  long  the  little  lamps  twinkled  and 
twinkled. 

But  when  morning  came  there  was  not  a  sweet  left! 

"It  must  have  been  the  rats,"  said  Meroo,  who,  as 
cook,  had  gone  up  to  see  what  he  could  save.  "I  saw 
the  tail  of  one  disappearing." 

But  Foster-father  said  swiftly:  "I  would  it  were 
some  other  helper,  for  the  time  has  come  for  help. 
Prince  Askurry  hath  sent  to  say  we  start  for  Kabul 
and  cruel  brother  Kumran  at  noon  to-day!" 


99 


CHAPTER  XI 

A  WINTER  MARCH 

It  was  only  too  true !  The  escort  which  was  to  see 
them  on  the  road  was  alread}^  occupying  the  garden, 
the  horses  champing  their  hits  and  fretting  because 
the  long  branches  of  the  roses  at  which  they  snatched 
held  nothing  but  thorns. 

Prince  Akbar,  indeed,  was  too  much  interested  in 
watching  them  and  wondering  if  they  were  very 
hungry  to  take  much  heed  of  anything  else,  but 
Princess  Bakshee  Bani  Begum,  who  was  a  very  prac- 
tical little  person,  at  once  began  to  pack  up  her 
favourite  doll. 

"You  had  better  choose  out  some  toy,  Mirak,"  said 
she,  "or  you  will  be  wanting  to  play  with  mine,  and 
I  won't  let  you." 

But  Mirak  was  busy  with  the  horses. 

"I  sha'n't  want  anything  but  my  sword,"  he  re- 
plied valiantly.  "I'm  a  big  boy  now,  and  I'm  going 
to  play  with  real  things."  Then  he  turned  to  one  of 
the  troopers  with  a  quaint  air  of  authority.  "Your 
horse  is  too  thin.  AVhen  I  am  King  I  shall  see  that 
my  men  give  their  horses  enough  to  eat." 

Foster-father,  who  overheard  the  child,  paused  in 
the  hasty  arrangements  he  was  making  to  look  at  the 
little  Heir-to-Empire  and  put  up  a  prayer  that  the 
100 


A  WINTER  MARCH 

fates  might  let  him  be  King;  but  the  future  looked 
black  indeed.  The  road  to  Kabul  must  still  be  blocked 
with  snow,  even  if  more  did  not  fall  by  the  way.  A 
likely  happening,  with  the  bitter  north  wind  and  the 
dull  lowering  sky.  And  if  the  young  child  escaped 
the  danger  of  extreme  cold  and  extreme  hardship, 
what  might  not  be  before  him  in  Kabul  itself? 

Better,  it  might  have  been,  for  those  in  charge  of 
him,  to  have  risked  all,  taken  refuge  with  the  old 
mountain  chief,  and  died  like  brave  men.  There  was 
but  one  comfort  in  the  whole  affair.  Prince  Askurry 
must  know  that  Humayon  or  his  friends  were  close 
at  hand,  or  he  would  not  be  in  such  a  desperate  hurry 
to  send  away  the  Heir-to-Empire. 

And  this,  indeed,  was  the  truth.  The  fear  of  a 
rescue  was  so  real  and  immediate  that  Prince  Askurry 
had  had  to  make  his  decision  in  a  minute.  So  there 
was  scarcely  any  time  for  preparation,  and  by  noon 
the  party  had  started  for  the  three  hundred  and  odd 
miles  of  mountainous  country  that  lay  between  them 
and  Kabul.  Only  the  children's  faces  were  cheerful ; 
even  Roy's  showed  grave  and  anxious. 

They  rode  fast  and  far  till  dusk  fell,  when  they 
had  covered  full  twenty  miles.  For  the  last  few,  both 
the  women,  who  were  mounted  behind  troopers,  had 
almost  been  dropping  with  fatigue,  but  the  captain 
of  the  escort  was  under  orders  to  go  as  far  as  pos- 
sible that  night,  so  he  pushed  on  to  reach  a  place 

101 


called  Robat.  Here  they  were  all  unceremoniously 
bundled  into  one  large  room,  and  by  the  steady  tramp 
through  the  night  of  a  sentry  outside,  Foster-father 
judged  they  were  complete  prisoners.  Luckily  they 
were  given  plenty  of  fuel  to  replenish  the  fire  that 
roared  in  the  wide  chimney,  so  the  elders  squatted 
round  it  and  dozed,  holding  the  children  in  their  laps. 
They  slept  as  soundly  as  if  they  had  been  in  their 
beds,  and  so  did  Tumbu  and  Down,  who  had  both  in- 
sisted on  being  of  the  party;  the  latter  having  quite 
calmly  taken  her  place  on  Horse-chestnut's  broad 
wavy  back  on  the  wide  cushion  of  felt  which  Foster- 
father  used  as  a  saddle-cloth.  She  had  left  her  kitten 
behind  her  as  it  was  now  quite  a  big  tom-cat,  and  able 
to  take  care  of  itself. 

In  a  way,  both  Tumbu  and  Down  had  already  been 
of  service  to  their  young  master,  for  the  troopers  of 
the  Escort  had  been  amused  by  the  golliwog's  gam- 
bols, and  had  admired  Down's  dignity,  so  they  were 
more  inclined  to  treat  the  whole  party  in  kindly  fash- 
ion. Indeed,  next  morning,  the  Captain  of  the  Escort, 
whose  anxiety  about  a  rescue  had,  perhaps,  been  les- 
sened by  the  uneventful  night,  was  much  less  strict  in 
his  orders,  and  took  Prince  Akbar  on  his  own  saddle 
and  let  him  hold  the  reins. 

"He  is  a  brave,  bold  lad,"  he  said  to  Foster-father; 
"were  he  to  live,  he  would  make  a  good  King."  Then 
he  frowned,  his  mouth  hardened  and  Foster-father, 
102 


A  WINTER  MARCH 

watching  him,  augured  ill  for  the  safety  of  the  Heir- 
to-Empire.  For  the  time,  however,  all  went  well, 
though  Foster-father  remarked  that  they  kept  off  the 
direct  track  as  much  as  possible;  no  doubt  to  avoid 
pursuit.  And  at  Ghuznee,  where  they  halted  the  sec- 
ond night,  the  Captain  of  the  Escort  sent  nearly  all 
his  men  into  the  city  by  one  gate,  taking  with  them, 
despite  their  protestations,  Roy  and  Meroo  and  Old 
Faithful,  while  he  himself,  with  but  one  or  two  troop- 
ers, Foster-father,  Foster-mother,  Head-nurse  and 
the  two  children,  entered  by  another  and  found  lodg- 
ing in  the  caravanserai  as  common  travellers.  Evi- 
dently, Foster-father  surmised,  it  was  thought  best 
for  some  reason  or  another  to  conceal  the  fact  that 
the  Heir-to-Empire  was  being  carried  off  to  Kabul; 
and  something  happened  that  evening  to  make  him 
certain  that  this  was  the  case.  It  was  dark  ere  they 
arrived,  so  the  other  travellers  in  the  serai  took  little 
heed  of  the  small  party,  especially  as  there  were 
women  and  children  in  it,  and  it  is  not  polite  in  East- 
ern countries  to  take  any  notice  of  them.  But  while 
Head-nurse  and  Foster-mother  were  busy  settling 
down  the  children's  quilts  in  the  little  dark  archway 
room,  which  was  all  the  accommodation  available,  and 
Foster-father  had  gone  to  purchase  them  some  milk 
for  their  supper,  the  little  Prince  and  Princess,  greatly 
excited  at  the  novelty  of  their  surroundings,  wandered 
out  into  the  dark  square  enclosure,  where  fires  burned 

103 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

here  and  there  in  the  open,  Ht  by  travellers  who  were 
cooking  their  evening  meal.  They  stood  by  these 
watching  what  was  going  on  with  quick  interest,  an- 
swering questions  that  were  put  to  them  with  frank 
smiles  and  laughter.  Being  dressed  in  heavy  sheep- 
skin outer  coats  to  keep  out  the  cold,  no  one  guessed 
that  they  were  other  than  they  seemed,  poor  travellers' 
children,  until  at  the  end  of  a  long  row  of  picketed 
horses  at  the  further  end  of  the  courtyard,  Akbar 
saw  Horse-chestnut,  Foster-father's  pony.  Now 
Foster-father  had  only  had  time  to  tie  the  poor  beast 
head  and  heel,  so  there  the  honest  creature  stood,  look- 
ing very  dejected,  with  emptiness  before  it,  while  the 
troopers'  horses  beside  him  were  enjoying  great 
bundles  of  green  grass.  The  little  fellow  flushed  up  in 
a  moment ;  he  called  loudly  to  a  man  who  stood  near : 

"Ho!  slave  there!  bring  my  pony  grass — dost  hear? 
and  be  quick!" 

The  man  laughed.  "Alah!"  he  said;  "whose  son 
be  you  to  give  orders  that  fashion?" 

"Whose  son?"  echoed  the  child  passionately.  "I 
am " 

But  Bija  clung  to  his  arm.  "H'st,  Mirak!"  she 
whispered.  "Remember  what  Head-nurse  said  that 
we  were  not  to  tell " 

Akbar  stood  irresolute;  he  was  wise  bej'-ond  his 
years.  "But  Horse-chestnut  must  not  be  hungry.  I 
won't  have  it! — he  shall  have  grass,"  he  said  angrih^; 
104 


A  WINTER  MARCH 

then,  without  another  word  he  walked  up  to  the  next 
horse,  took  a  great  armful  of  the  grass  that  lay  in 
front  of  it  and  scattered  it  before  his  favourite. 

"So  there!  slave!"  he  cried  defiantly  with  a  stamp 
of  his  foot. 

The  man  looked  at  him  curiously,  said  nothing,  but 
went  over  to  some  others  and  began  to  whisper. 

A  minute  afterwards,  Foster-father  returning, 
found  the  children  the  centre  of  a  little  crowd  eager 
in  enquiry  whence  they  came,  whither  they  were  go- 
ing, and,  ere  he  could  get  them  safely  to  their  quar- 
ters, the  attention  of  the  Captain  of  the  Escort  had 
been  arrested,  he  came  out  frowning  and  fuming. 

"We  march  again  in  an  hour,"  he  said  angrily  to 
Foster-father.  "On  thy  head  be  it  if  thou  can'st  not 
keep  thy  young  fighting  cock  in  order — 'twill  be  all 
over  the  town  by  midnight!" 

Foster-father  did  not  often  let  his  temper  get  the 
better  of  his  prudence,  but  he  could  not  resist  saying 
mildly:  "Kingship  is  like  the  musk-bag,  friend,  that 
was  broken  at  the  royal  child's  birth.  It  diffuses  its 
perfume  over  the  habitable  world,  and  none  can  mis- 
take it." 

The  Captain  of  the  Escort  shrugged  his  shoulders. 
"Then  it  shall  smell  in  the  wilderness,  friend;  for  I 
run  no  risks  of  rescue  this  side  the  passes.  So  bid  the 
women  give  the  young  crowing  cockerel  his  supper 
and  prepare  to  start  again.    There  will  be  a  moon  in 

105 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

another  hour  and  we  can  push  on.    INleanwhile  I  go  to 
warn  the  other  folk  where  to  rejoin  us." 

It  was  a  bitter  cold  night.  The  wind  blew  keenly 
from  the  snow  before  them,  and  by  the  time  they 
reached  a  miserable  village,  high  up  on  the  slopes  of 
the  pass,  every  one  save  the  two  children  was  chilled  to 
the  bone;  but  they,  well  happed  in  all  the  coverings 
the  fugitives  could  compass,  were  warm;  Akbar,  in 
Foster-father's  arms,  w^ith  Down,  the  cat,  cuddled  up 
beside  him,  and  acting  as  a  hot  bottle!  Once  more 
there  was  plenty  of  fuel  in  the  rude  hut  where  they 
found  shelter,  and  stiffened  limbs  and  half-frosted 
fingers  soon  began  to  thaw.  Tumbu,  who  had  kept 
himself  supple  by,  as  usual,  bounding  about,  was  the 
only  one  of  the  party  who  did  not  doze  off  at  once,  now 
comparative  comfort  was  reached. 

But  he  was  curiously  restless.  Over  and  over  again 
he  rose,  w^nt  to  the  door  and  seemed  to  listen.  Then 
he  began  to  whine  a  little,  then  to  scratch  at  the  door 
as  if  he  wanted  to  get  out.  Finally,  finding  no  one 
paid  any  attention,  he  let  loose  one  short,  sharp  bark, 
which  awakened  Head-nurse,  who  with  an  impatient 
look  to  see  if  her  children  had  been  disturbed,  and 
an  angry  whisper,  "Go,  then!  thou  mean-born  beast," 
rose  softly,  set  open  the  door  for  a  second,  then  closed 
it  again,  shivering  with  the  chill  blast  that  swept  in. 
But  Tumbu  was  out  like  a  flash  and  disappeared  in 
the  darkness. 
106 


A  WINTER  MARCH 

It  must  have  been  an  hour  afterward  that  every- 
one's slumber  was  disturbed  by  the  most  hisistent 
barking  that  ever  was  heard.  Even  Akbar,  usually 
the  soundest  of  sleepers,  sat  up  and  rubbed  his  eyes. 

"The  evil-dispositioned  hound!"  said  Head-nurse 
in  drowsy  anger.  "I  deemed  he  had  left  us  forever, 
and  good  riddance,  too." 

But  little  Prince  Akbar,  half  awake,  protested  in 
defence  of  his  dear  dog. 

''Tumbu  only  barks  when  he  wants  something, 
nurse;  go  and  see  what  it  is." 

"A  likely  story!"  cried  Head-nurse. 

"Well,"  interposed  Foster-father  philosophically, 
"some  one  must  go  if  any  one  is  to  sleep." 

Whereat  he  went  to  the  door;  but  Tumbu  on  the 
doorstep  refused  to  come  in ;  he  barked,  bounced  off, 
and  returned  the  next  minute  to  whine  and  bark  again. 

"He  only  v/ants  something;  go  and  see  what  it  is," 
came  Mirak's  deep-toned  voice.  "I  know  he  wants 
something." 

"Lo!  man  alive!"  grumbled  Head-nurse;  "shut  the 
door  whichever  way  it  is.    I  perish  with  cold!" 

Foster-father  was  a  wise  man,  so  to  avoid  further 
discussion  he  stepped  out  and  shut  the  door  behind 
him.  Thus  for  a  minute  or  two  there  was  peace.  Then 
Foster-father's  voice  rose  urgently  from  outside. 

"Open!    I  say  open!    Quick!" 

Foster-mother  flew  to  obey,  and  her  husband  stag- 

107 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

gered  in,  bearing  some  one  in  his  arms.  "God  send 
the  boy  be  not  dead,"  he  said  as  he  laid  down  his 
burden. 

It  was  Roy  the  Rajput!' 

"I  found  him  quite  close,  frozen  by  the  cold,"  he 
continued,  as  they  set  to  work  before  the  fire  to  rub 
the  poor,  stiff  limbs  and  force  a  few  drops  of  hot  milk 
through  the  blue  lips. 

It  was  some  time  before  a  faint  sigh,  a  quiver  of 
the  eyelids  told  that  Roy  was  once  more  coming  back 
to  the  world ;  but  after  that  it  was  not  long  before  he 
could  sit  up  and  tell  them  what  had  happened. 

He  had  managed  to  evade  the  eyes  of  the  troopers, 
and  had  arrived  at  the  serai  just  after  the  startled 
party  had  left  it;  had  followed  on  their  traces  until 
he  had  lost  his  way.  In  despair  he  had  been  stumbling 
along  aimlessly  when  Tumbu  had  suddenly  appeared. 
Following  his  lead,  he  had  struggled  on,  gradually 
benumbed  by  cold,  until  at  last  his  feet  had  failed  him, 
and  he  remembered  no  more. 

"Tumbu  wanted  Roy!"  said  little  Prince  Akbar 
gravely.    "I  told  you  he  wanted  something." 

And  Tumbu,  hearing  his  name,  roused  his  furry 
head  from  his  furry  paws  and  looked  at  his  young 
master  with  his  sharp,  beady,  black  eyes,  as  who 
should  say: 

"Of  course  I  did,  because  I  knew  you  wanted  him." 


108 


CHAPTER  XII 

SNOW  AND  ICE 

The  Captain  of  the  Escort  was  not  over  pleased  to 
find  Roy  when  he  came  in  the  next  morning,  and  said 
curtly  that  the  boy,  having  found  his  way  on  foot, 
must  make  it  on  foot,  and  that  none  should  wait  for 
him.  To  this  the  Rajput  lad  made  no  demur.  His 
long  limbs  on  that  hilly  country  were  more  than  an 
equal  even  for  Horse-chestnut's  climbing  powers,  and 
the  cold  was  so  intense  that  it  was  a  relief  not  to  sit 
still  on  horseback.  So  he  raced  on  ahead  with  Tumbu 
or  held  by  Horse-chestnut's  stirrup,  and,  as  he  ran, 
told  stories  to  amuse  the  Heir-to-Empire ;  for  neither 
of  the  nurses  was  in  a  fit  state  to  do  more  than  sit  tight, 
tied  by  leathern  belts  to  the  troopers  behind  whom 
they  rode. 

About  sunset  time  they  arrived  at  a  lonely  shed  at 
the  beginning  of  the  highest  bit  of  the  main  road,  which 
they  were  now  obliged  to  take,  as  there  was  no  other 
way  over  the  mountains  ahead  of  them.  Here,  at  the 
end — as  poor  Head-nurse  wailed — of  the  habitable 
world,  the  Captain  of  the  Escort  had  expected  to  find 
the  remainder  of  his  men ;  but  they  were  not  there,  and 
as  his  provisions  were  running  short,  he  could  not  go 
on  till  they  did  arrive.  So,  in  an  ill  humor,  he  ordered 
a  halt,  and  the  whole  outwearied  party  hastily  cooked 

109 


thp:  adventures  of  akbar 

themselves  a  meagre  supper  and  lay  down  in  hot  haste 
for  rest  at  last.  And  rest  they  had,  for  that  night 
the  snow,  which  had  heen  threatening,  began  to  fall, 
and  by  daylight  a  good  nine  inches  lay  on  the  ground. 
The  children,  who  had  never  seen  such  thick  snow 
before,  were  delighted ;  but  Foster-father  looked  fear- 
fully at  the  passes  before  them,  while  the  Captain  of 
the  Escort  fumed  and  fretted  at  the  non-arrival  of 
his  men.  Unless  they  came  soon,  he  said,  if  more  snow 
fell,  the  pass  immediately  in  front  of  them  might  be 
closed  for  days.  Not  that  there  seemed  much  likelihood 
of  further  storm,  for  the  sky  was  blue  as  blue,  the  air, 
though  keen,  pleasant.  About  noon,  there  being  still 
no  sign  of  the  missing  men  with  provisions,  the  cap- 
tain became  impatient,  and  told  Foster-father  curtly 
that  he  and  his  three  troopers  would  ride  back  some 
fifteen  miles  to  a  village,  where  perchance  the  others 
were  waiting,  and  that  meanwhile  the  rest  of  them 
could  wait  till  he  returned;  there  were  provisions 
enough  for  a  day  or  two.  Foster-father  protested 
against  being  left  alone  in  the  snow  with  but  a  boy, 
two  helpless  women  and  two  young  children ;  but  the 
Captain  only  laughed  and  rode  off,  taking  with  him 
Horse-chestnut,  as  a  precaution,  doubtless,  against 
any  attempt  to  escape  with  the  Heir-to-Empire. 

There  was  nothing  to  be  done.  Foster-father  felt, 
save  to  wait  with  what  patience  he  could ;  but  his  heart 
sank  as,  while  Head-nurse  and  Foster-mother  slept, 
110 


SNOW  AND  ICE 

outwearied  by  the  past  two  days'  fatigue,  and  the  chil- 
dren under  Roy's  care  played  snowballs,  he  sat  and 
watched  the  sky.  At  first  there  was  only  a  cloud  or 
two  in  the  west;  then  a  sudden  wind  sprang  up  and 
drove  the  fine,  powdery  snow  in  drifts.  But  still  the 
sun  shone,  though  it  seemed  to  grow  a  little  dimmer, 
a  little  paler ;  finally,  about  two  hours  after  the  others 
had  left,  Foster-father  felt  uncertain  whether  it  was 
all  drift  that  seemed  to  fill  the  air  with  a  fine  white 
film,  or  whether  fresh  snow  was  falling. 

An  hour  later  there  was  no  doubt  about  it.  Great 
flakes  were  circling  down  silently,  the  sun  had  van- 
ished, all  things  had  become  grey.  Head-nurse  heaped 
up  the  fire,  set  a  quilt  before  it  for  the  children  to 
play  upon,  and  then  opened  out  the  wallets  to  see 
what  she  could  find  for  supper.  There  was  not  much 
left,  and  she  was  about  to  knead  up  all  the  flour  to 
bake  hearth  cakes  when  Foster-father  crossed  over 
to  her  and  whispered: 

"Half  will  do,  sister;  otherwise  there  may  be  none 
for  to-morrow." 

"None?"  she  echoed.    "But  they  will  be  back " 

Foster-father  pointed  to  the  snow  that,  driven  now 
by  a  rising  wind,  had  drifted  underneath  the  door. 
"Not  through  that,  sister!  We  may  have  to  stay 
here  till  the  weather  moderates,  for  none  save  friends 
will  risk  their  lives,  and  these  men  love  us  not!" 

But  even  as  he  spoke  there  was  a  bustling  at  the 

111 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

door,  Tumbu  flew  forward,  barking  loudly,  and  in 
stumbled 

Old  Faithful  and  Meroo  the  cook-boy! 

They  were  heavily  burdened,  half-blinded  by  the 
snow,  and  they  had  a  disquieting  tale  to  tell.  About 
twelve  miles  back,  just  as  the  snow  began  to  fall,  their 
party,  which  had  been  delayed  on  the  main  road  by 
a  flooded  river,  had  come  upon  the  Captain  of  the 
Escort  and  his  three  troopers.  Then  had  ensued  a 
hurried  consultation,  in  which  several  of  the  men  had 
flatly  refused  to  go  on  in  face  of  the  coming  storm. 
It  was,  they  said,  sheer  madness.  Better  return  to 
the  nearest  township  and  await  better  weather.  As 
for  the  prisoners,  they  had  food  enough  to  keep  life 
in  them  for  a  day  or  two,  and  after  that  they  must 
take  their  chance.  Whereupon  Old  Faithful  and 
Meroo  had  offered  to  go  on,  carrying  some  of  the 
provisions  they  had  with  them,  and  trusting  to  be 
able  to  follow  the  tracks  left  by  the  horses  in  the 
snow.  This  had  been  agreed  upon,  and — here  they 
were ! 

"For,"  as  Old  Faithful  went  on,  "see  you,  I  am  not 

afraid  of  snow,  having  been  with  Babar  the  brave 

(on  whom  be  peace)  when  he  marched  from  Herat 

to   Kabul  and  was  nigh  lost  on  the   Great  Zirrin 

pass." 

Little  Akbar,  who  was  playing  at  cat's  cradle  with 
his  sister,  looked  up  eagerly.  "Was  Grand-dad 
112 


SNOW  AND  ICE 

ever  in  the  snow?  'Cos  if  he  was,  he's  quite  sure 
to  help  us,  for  he  ate  all  our  sweeties,  didn't  he, 
Bija?" 

The  little  girl  shook  her  head  and  put  her  finger 
to  her  hp,  in  warning  to  him  not  to  give  away  their 
secret;  but  Head-nurse  was  sharp. 

"Ohe,"  said  she,  "so  that  w^as  it!  Listen,  Foster- 
father!  these  babes  set  the  platter  for  Firdoos  Gita 
Makani — on  whom  be  peace !  Is  not  that  good  omen 
for  us  all?" 

"Mayhap!"  said  Foster-father,  clearing  his  throat 
cautiously,  "and  my  heart  is  comforted  also  by  the 
presence  of  Faithful,  who  was  with  the  great  king 
in  his  battle  with  snow  and  ice." 

The  Heir-to-Empire  dropped  his  cat's  cradle  and 
went  over  to  the  old  trooper  and  stood  before  him  with 
grave,  questioning  eyes. 

"Is  it  so,  slave?  Were  you  with  Grand-dad  in  the 
snow?" 

"Most-Honourable!  I  was,"  replied  the  old  man 
boastfully,  "and  I  remember  as  if  'twas  vester- 
day " 

"Tell  us  the  tale,  trooper,"  interrupted  Head-nurse. 
"  'Twill  hearten  us  all  up  ere  we  sleep,  since  there  is 
naught  else  to  be  done." 

"That  will  I,  mother,"  replied  Old  Faithful  with 
alacrity,  "and  in  the  very  words  of  my  revered  master 
as  written  in  that  book  of  books,  his  Memoirs,  which 

113 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

doubtless  the  most  Learned-of-the-Universe  will  read 
some  day." 

jNIirak,  who  was  back  at  his  cat's  cradle,  looked  up 
with  grave  superiority. 

"Nay,  slave !  They  shall  read  it  to  Akbar.  He  will 
be  King." 

"Hark  to  him!"  ejaculated  Foster-mother,  de- 
hghted.     "His  words  are  all  fortunate." 

"We  have  need  of  more  fortune  by  works,  not 
words,  woman,"  said  Foster-father  sternly.  "So  pro- 
ceed, friend  Faithful;  the  recitation  of  brave  deeds 
can  never  come  amiss." 

Old  Faithful  settled  himself  by  the  fire  and  began. 
"First  you  must  know  that  Firdoos  Gita  Makani,  or 
Babar  the  brave,  had  to  get  back  to  Kabul,  because 
wicked  men  were  waiting  to  be  punished.  Now,  it 
was  winter  time,  and  none  dreamed  of  travelling  over 
the  passes  at  that  season.  But  Firdoos  Gita  Makani 
was  not  one  to  hold  back  when  a  thing  had  to  be  done. 
So  we  started,  and  this  is  what  happened,  in  his  own 
words : 

"From  the  time  we  left  Herat  it  snowed  inces- 
santly ;  the  farther  we  advanced  the  deeper  it  became. 
After  three  days  it  reached  above  the  stirrups.  In 
places  the  horses'  feet  did  not  reach  the  ground;  yet 
the  snow  continued  to  fall.  One  Bishai  was  our  guide. 
I  do  not  know  whether  it  was  from  old  age,  or  from 
his  heart  failing  him,  but  having  once  lost  the  road, 
114 


SNOW  AND  ICE 

he  never  could  find  it  again ;  so,  as  it  was  not  to  be 
found  with  all  our  exertions,  we  were  brought  to  a 
complete  stand.  Seeing  no  other  remedy,  we  returned 
back  to  a  place  where  there  was  abundance  of  fire- 
wood, and  despatched  sixty  or  seventy  chosen  men  to 
retrace  our  footsteps  and  find  on  lower  ground  any 
people  who  might  be  wintering  there,  and  bring  back 
another  guide.  We  halted  thus  for  three  or  four  days 
awaiting  the  return  of  our  messengers ;  but  when  they 
did  appear  it  was  without  any  one  to  show  the  way. 
Placing  my  reliance  on  God  alone,  therefore,  I  went 
on.  For  about  a  week  we  continued  beating  down  the 
snow  so  as  to  form  a  road,  only  advancing  two  or  three 
miles  a  day.  Accompanied  by  ten  or  fifteen  of  my 
personal  followers,  I  worked  myself  with  the  others. 
Every  step  we  took  forward  we  sank  up  to  the  middle, 
but  still  we  went  on,  trampling  till  we  got  firm  foot- 
hold. And  as  the  first  person  wearied  of  the  exertion, 
he  stood  back  and  another  took  his  place.  So,  after  a 
time,  we  managed  to  lead  on  a  riderless  horse.  It 
generally  sank  to  the  stirrups,  and  after  floundering 
on  a  dozen  paces  was  worn  out.  But  the  second  did 
better.  Thus  in  this  way  the  twenty  or  so  of  us  man- 
aged to  prepare  a  sort  of  road  for  the  rest,  who  with 
hanging  heads  (though  many  of  them  had  seemed 
our  best  men)  advanced  along  it  without  even  dis- 
mounting! But  this  was  no  time  for  reproof  or  au- 
thority.    Every  man  of  spirit  hastens  to  such  work 

115 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

of  himself,  and  the  rest  do  not  count.  In  this  way- 
after  three  or  four  days  we  reached  a  cave  at  the  foot 
of  the  Zirrin  Pass.  That  day  the  wind  and  storm  were 
dreadful ;  the  snow  fell  in  quantities ;  we  all  expected 
to  meet  death  together.  The  snow  was  so  deep,  the 
path  so  narrow,  the  days  were  at  shortest.  The  first 
of  the  troops  reached  the  cave  while  it  was  yet  day- 
light ;  but  some  men  had  to  wait  for  morning  on  horse- 
back. The  cave  seemed  to  be  too  small  for  all,  so  I 
would  not  go  in.  I  felt  that  for  me  to  be  warm  and 
comfortable  while  my  men  were  in  snow  and  drift ;  for 
me  to  sleep  at  my  ease  while  my  followers  were  in 
trouble  and  distress,  would  be  unfair.  I  felt  that 
whatever  their  sufferings  might  be,  I  ought  to  share 
them.  So  I  took  a  hoe  and  dug  down  into  the  snow 
as  deep  as  my  breast ;  this  gave  me  some  shelter  from 
the  w^ind,  and  I  sat  down  in  the  hole.  By  bedtime 
prayers  the  snow  had  fallen  so  fast  that  four  inches  of 
it  had  settled  on  my  head 

Here  Old  Faithful  paused  and  shook  his  head 
gravely.  "His  Majesty,"  he  went  on,  "writes  in  the 
margin,  'That  night  I  caught  a  cold  in  my  ear.'  It 
is  only  wonder  he  did  not  catch  his  death." 

"But  what  happened  next?"  asked  Akbar  impa- 
tiently. "Did  poor  Grand-dad  sit  in  the  snow  all 
night?" 

"No,  Most-Honourable.  He  goes  on  to  say,  'The 
cave  was  properly  explored  and  found  to  be  large 
116 


SNOW  AND  ICE 

enough  to  hold  us  all.  So  I  ordered  all  to  go  in,  and 
thus  we  escaped  from  the  terrible  cold,  snow,  and 
drift,  into  a  wonderfully  warm,  safe,  comfortable 
place.  And  next  morning  the  snow  and  tempest 
ceased  and  we  moved  on,  tramphng  down  the  snow  as 
before;  but  ere  we  quite  got  through  the  pass,  night 
fell.  Though  the  wind  had  fallen,  the  cold  was  dread- 
ful, and  several  lost  fingers,  toes,  even  hands  and  feet 
from  frostbite,  as  we  waited  for  dawn  in  the  open.  As 
early  as  we  could  we  moved  down  the  glen,  descend- 
ing, without  road,  over  difficult  and  precipitous  places, 
the  extreme  depth  of  the  snow  enabling  us  to  pass  over 
countless  dangers.  Thus  our  enemy  became  our 
friend. 

"  'It  was  evening  prayer  time  ere  we  got  from  the 
mouth  of  the  valley,  bedtime  prayers  when  we  reached 
the  village  of  Auleng.  The  people  carried  us  to  their 
warm  houses,  brought  out  fat  sheep  for  us,  a  super- 
fluity of  hay  and  grain  for  our  horses,  with  abundance 
of  wood  to  kindle  our  fires.  To  pass  from  the  cold 
and  snow  into  such  a  village  with  its  warm  houses,  to 
find  plenty  of  good  food  as  we  did  after  days  of 
hunger  is  an  enjoyment  that  can  only  be  understood 
by  those  who  have  suffered  similar  hardship,  have  en- 
dured such  heavy  distress.'  " 

Old  Faithful  paused  and  sighed.  "That  is  so  like 
Firdoos  Gita  Makani,"  he  said.  "When  danger  was 
over  he  would  sit  down  and  write  beautiful  things 

iir 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

about  it;  but  when  it  was  there  he  never  seemed  to 
think  of  anything  but  tramphng  it  down." 

"That  is  hke  all  Kings,"  said  Roy  proudly,  "and 
brave  men  are  always  Kings  in  danger." 

But  Foster-father  was  looking  at  the  fire.  "Abun- 
dance of  fuel,"  he  murmured,  "that  is  what  we  have 
not." 

"We  shall  not  need  it  here,  friend,"  replied  the  old 
trooper.  "INIeroo,  remove  that  log;  'tis  too  hot  as  it 
is,  and  if  the  snow  continues  to  drift  as  it  was  doing 
a  while  agone — "  he  moved  to  the  door,  which  opened 
inward  and  set  it  wide.  A  great  white  wall  reaching 
almost  to  the  eaves  showed  filling  up  the  doorway! 
"It  is  as  I  thought,"  he  said;  "we  are  prisoned  here 
till  the  storm  passes.  Thank  God  we  have  provision 
enough  for  some  days." 

"And  thanks  to  others  also,"  put  in  Foster-father 
heartily;  "but  for  thee  and  Meroo,  old  friend " 

"As  Firdoos  Gita  Makani  used  to  say,"  remarked 
the  old  man  with  an  air  of  great  virtue,  "  'Gratitude 
comes  when  danger  has  gone,'  so  she  must  wait  a  bit 
yet." 


118 


CHAPTER  XIII 

OVER  THE  PASS 

Gratitude  had  longer  to  wait  than  even  Foster- 
father,  who  always  took  a  gloomy  view  of  things,  had 
thought  for,  since  the  next  morning  found  the  shed 
almost  hidden  beneath  a  snowdrift.  Still,  as  Old 
Faithful  remarked,  it  was  not  altogether  to  be  re- 
gretted since  the  covering  kept  out  the  cold  and 
allowed  them  to  save  their  small  store  of  firewood  for 
cooking.  The  lack  of  light  was,  however,  terrible 
until  Old  Faithful,  whose  experience  with  Babar  the 
brave  made  him  full  of  expedients,  hit  on  the  plan 
of  setting  Tumbu  to  work  to  dig  out  a  hole  through 
the  drift,  for  they  had  nothing  with  them  to  use  as  a 
spade.  What  he  did  was  to  set  the  door  wide,  cut  a 
narrow  tunnel  with  his  sword  as  far  as  he  could  reach 
in  the  banked-up  snow,  and  thrust  a  bit  of  food 
in  its  farther  end.  Then  Roy  brought  Tumbu  and 
said: 

"Fetch  it  out,  good  dog!  fetch  it  out!"  while  Mirak 
and  Bija  looked  on  delightedly,  calling,  "Good  dog! 
Dig  it  out!  dig  it  out!"  Tumbu,  the  most  playful  of 
animals,  soon  entered  into  the  fun,  and  set  to  work 
shovelling  out  the  snow  till  he  found  the  food.  Then 
another  bit  was  thrust  in,  always  in  an  upward  di- 
rection. 

119 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

"  'Tis  slow,"  said  Old  Faithful,  "but  not  so  slow  as 
trampling  down  a  road!" 

Xot  half  so  slow,  for  after  a  time  Tumbu  seemed 
to  understand  what  they  would  be  at,  and  needed  no 
more  bits  of  food  to  make  him  dig,  but  went  on  solidly, 
every  now  and  again  giving  a  yap  just  to  make  him- 
self believe  he  really  was  digging  something  out.  In 
fact,  he  got  on  so  fast  that  Roy,  who,  as  the  slim- 
mest of  the  party,  had  to  keep  the  tunnel  clear  of 
the  dug-out  snow,  had  almost  more  to  do  than  he 
could  manage.  It  was  frightfully  exciting,  and 
]\Iirak  and  Bija  were  dancing  about,  unable  to 
keep  still,  when  a  sudden  shaft  of  light  that  burst 
into  the  dark  shed,  and  a  furiously  joyful  barking 
that  came  down  the  funnel  as  if  it  had  been  a  speak- 
ing trumpet,  announced  Tumbu's  arrival  in  free 
air. 

"Now,  we  shall  do,"  said  Old  Faithful  with 
much  importance.  "Lo!  how  one  clever  idea  be- 
gets another.  But  for  Firdoos  Gita  IMakani  tramp- 
ling a  road  I  should  never  have  thought  of  a 
tunnel!" 

Roy,  however,  was  already  hard  at  work  improving 
on  the  idea  by  widening  the  way  with  Old  Faithful's 
sword,  being  only  let  from  doing  more  by  Head- 
nurse's  exclamation  that  the  melting  snow  would  flood 
the  shed. 

"Let  be,  boy!"  said  Foster-father;  "the  hot  air  from 
120 


OVER  THE  PASS 

within,  rising  through  the  tunnel,  will  melt  the  sides  by- 
degrees.  To-morrow  will  see  it  large  enough  for  you, 
at  any  rate,  to  pass  through." 

And  so  it  proved.  Not  next  day,  but  the  day  after, 
not  only  Roy,  but  Mirak  and  Bija,  had  managed  to 
climb  up  to  the  outer  world  by  the  notches  which  Roy 
cut  in  the  snow  walls. 

It  was  a  strange,  chill  world  which  they  saw.  Far 
as  the  eye  could  reach,  nothing  but  snow,  the  air  frosty 
and  sharp,  though  the  sun  was  shining  once  more. 
Mirak  was  keen  to  snowball,  but  Roy  would  not  hear 
of  it ;  the  snow  was  melting  with  the  faint  heat  of  the 
midday  sun,  he  said,  and  a  step  might  make  the  frost 
film  break,  and  down  into  the  powdery  drift  they 
might  go,  never  to  come  up  again.  So  they  only  stood 
looking  about  them  for  a  few  minutes  and  then  pre- 
pared to  go  back. 

"Take  care,  my  lord,  take  care!"  cried  Roy,  as 
Mirak,  who  was  preparing  to  descend  legs  foremost, 
as  he  had  been  told  to  do,  suddenly  looked  up  with  a 
face  full  of  mischief,  let  go  with  his  hands,  and  pouf  I 
disappeared  down  the  slippery  tunnel  like  a  pea  in  a 
pea-shooter.  A  burst  of  laughter  from  below  told 
them  he  had  arrived  safely,  and  nothing  would  suit 
Bija  but  to  do  likewise,  Roy  being  still  too  tight  a  fit 
to  slide  quickly.  In  fact,  the  children  were  eager  to 
climb  up  once  more  and  do  it  again,  but  Head-nurse 
said  she  could  not  hear  of  it;  their  clothes  were  wet 

121 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

enough  as  it  was ;  besides,  it  was  most  unlady-like  for 
a  real  Princess! 

The  days,  therefore,  did  not  pass  so  uncomfortably, 
though  pressing  anxiety  sat  on  Foster-father's  honest 
face,  and  every  time  Roy  returned  from  a  climb  up  to 
outer  air  he  would  ask  him  if  he  had  seen  anything. 

"Xothing,"  Roy  would  reply,  "and  the  snow  wastes 
but  little,  we  are  so  high  up." 

At  last  one  night,  after  the  children  were  asleep, 
Foster-father  summoned  a  council  of  war.  It  would 
not  be  wise,  he  said,  to  remain  where  they  were,  with- 
out making  any  effort  at  escape,  until  their  provisions 
were  exhausted.  Then  they  would  be  helpless.  Now 
they  still  had  enough  for  two  or  three  days,  and  it 
behooved  them  to  make  a  push — but  whither? 

"Not  back  on  our  steps,"  advised  Old  Faithful. 
*Tirdoos  Gita  Makani  always  said:  'No  retreat  till 
there  is  no  advance.'  Besides,  see  you,  if  we  go  down, 
the  snow  will  be  melting  and  give  us  no  foothold.  But 
at  night  the  frost  will  hold  on  the  pass.  And  it  is 
but  little  farther  to  the  next  shelter ;  for,  see  you,  I 
have  come  twice  this  way  from  Kandahar;  but  never 
the  other  way  back.  So  my  memory  of  land-marks — if 
there  be  any — would  be  nothing  on  the  downward 
journey.  But  upward  it  might  come  to  life.  Again, 
upward  there  is  less  chance  of  missing  tlie  way,  as  all 
the  valleys  converge  to  the  Pass,  whereas  downward 
they  spread  out  in  different  directions." 
122 


OVER  THE  PASS 

In  fact,  there  were  so  many  points  in  favour  of 
advance  that  the  decision  was  made  for  it,  and  the  next 
night  settled  on  for  the  start.  There  were  not  many 
preparations  to  make  except  for  the  women,  who  had 
to  bake  what  flour  they  had  into  hearth  cakes.  They 
had  a  httle  wheat  and  pulse,  too,  and  this  they  roasted 
and  tied  up  in  the  corners  of  their  veils.  Everything 
that  was  heavy  had  to  be  left  behind,  for  they  knew 
that  even  unburdened  they  might  have  difficulty  in 
getting  the  frost  film  on  the  snow  to  bear  their  weight. 
It  was  a  bright,  starlight  night  when,  the  snow  tunnel 
having  been  enlarged  by  Roy,  regardless  of  flooding 
the  shed,  the  whole  party  crept  out  and  stood  on  the 
wide,  snowy  expanse.  Tumbu  was  first,  and  with 
joyful  yaps  began  to  career  about  in  circles  curved 
like  a  comma,  biting  and  snapping  at  the  snow.  Down 
came  last,  and  meaowed  piteously,  lifting  up  first  one 
cold  foot,  then  another,  and  shaking  it  in  disgust. 
Finally  an  idea  seemed  to  come  into  her  head;  she 
made  a  bound  toward  Tumbu,  and  the  next  moment 
was  on  his  back,  clawing  onto  his  fluffy  black  fur; 
whereat  everybody  laughed.  So,  with  many  a  prayer 
for  guidance,  the  little  party  set  off,  Old  Faithful 
leading  the  way.  At  first  they  managed  pretty  well, 
though  the  men  and  women,  being  heavy,  sank  over 
the  ankles  at  each  step.  But  both  Bija  and  Mirak, 
and  even  Roy,  being  light,  found  the  surface  hard 
enough  to  bear  them ;  so  they  ran  on  ahead  and  chattered 

123 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

and  laughed,  the  whole  business  being  to  them  a  huge 
joke.  Thus  an  hour  passed  cheerfully  enough;  then 
Bija  began  to  get  tired,  and  Foster-father  took  her  in 
his  arms.  The  result  sent  his  heart  into  his  mouth  with 
sudden  fear,  sudden  certainty  that  no  help  could  come 
that  way.  Even  her  slight  additional  weight  sent  him 
almost  waist  deep  into  the  snow.  He  could  scarcely 
move!  And  ere  long  the  Heir-to-Empire  would  doubt- 
less weary  also ;  then  what  was  to  be  done  ?  For  every 
hour  after  midnight  would  bring  the  thawing  sun 
nearer  and  nearer ;  they  might  have  to  remain  on  the 
Pass  till  night  brought  frost  again,  and  in  that  case 
what  would  become  of  the  children  ? 

Then  suddenly  his  eye  caught  Tumbu,  who  was 
marching  along  sullenly,  Down  nestling,  fast  clawed 
in  his  broad,  furry  back.  Could  the  dog  carry  a  child? 
A  creature  with  four  feet  had  greater  purchase  of 
foothold  than  one  with  two. 

"Roy,"  he  said,  "turn  the  cat  off  and  put  the  Heir- 
to-Empire  on  the  dog's  back;  he  must  be  tired  also." 

Mirak,  nothing  loath,  climbed  quickly  to  his  mount ; 
but  ere  he  had  settled  himself  on  its  back  Tumbu  had 
begun  to  sink  slowly.  The  little  lad's  weight  was  too 
much  for  even  four  feet;  there  was  a  struggle,  over 
went  the  little  Prince,  and  both  he  and  Tumbu  had  to 
be  picked  up  and  set  on  their  legs  again  on  a  fresh, 
unbroken  place. 

Foster-father  looked  in  despair  at  Old  Faithful, 
124 


OVER  THE  PASS 

and  for  a  minute  no  one  said  anything.  Then  the  old 
man's  face  lit  up.  "Lo !  I  had  forgotten  it  utterly,  but 
the  time  and  place  bring  memory  back.  Firdoos  Gita 
Makani — who  knew  all  things  under  the  sun — had  a 
favourite  horse,  that  strained  itself  falling  into  a  drift. 
They  were  for  leaving  it  to  die,  but  that  did  not  suit 
Firdoos  Gita  Makani,  who  was  kind  to  all  God's 
creatures.  So,  having  read  of  the  like  somewhere,  he 
set  us  to  make  a  sort  of  platform  with  our  lances  and 
blankets  underneath  the  poor  brute,  and  so  we 
dragged  him  over  the  snow,  until  we  reached  a  place 
where  there  was  water  and  grass." 

"We  have  no  lances,"  said  Foster-father,  "and  there 
is  no  wood."    He  looked  around  helplessly. 

"My  lord  has  a  sword,"  put  in  Roy  eagerly,  "and 
so  has  Faithful.  If  he  were  to  tie  them  crossways  to 
the  scabbards — "  He  had  already  thrown  off  his  skin 
coat  and  was  unwinding  his  long  muslin  waistband  to 
tear  it  into  strips  to  use  as  a  cord. 

"It  is  worth  the  trying,  friend  Foster-father,"  said 
Old  Faithful,  unbuckling  his  sword. 

"Aye!"  continued  Roy,  elated  with  the  idea,  "and 
Tumbu  can  drag  it.  He  makes  no  mark  on  the  snow, 
so  it  will  be  smooth  and  slippy — and  the  curved  scab- 
bards will  be  like  runners." 

His  dexterous  fingers  were  hard  at  work  binding 
the  long  sword  blades  to  place.  Then  a  strip  of  woollen 
shawl  was  fastened  to  them  as  a  seat,  Meroo's  turban 

125 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

served  as  harness,  and  in  less  time  than  could  have 
been  imagined  the  quaint  sledge  was  ready  for  trial. 

]\lirak  sat  on  it  first.  "Now  then,  Tumbu!  Good 
dog!"  said  Roy  in  a  flutter  for  fear  of  failure.  Tumbu 
turned  round,  looked  at  his  little  master  with  a  broad 
grin  of  red  tongue  and  white  teeth,  gave  a  little  grunt, 
and  started. 

The  sledge  slid  on  over  the  frozen  snow  quite  easily! 

"Now  praise  be  to  God!"  cried  Foster-father,  over- 
joyed. 

"And  Grand-dad !"  said  the  little  Prince,  who  always 
listened  to  everything;  "but  I  knew  he  would  help  us, 
didn't  you,  Bija?" 

"But  I  want  to  go  on  the  thing,  too,"  she  whim- 
pered. 

"JNIayhap  it  might  support  them  both,"  put  in 
Head-nurse;  "she  is  but  a  featherweight,  and  there  is 
plenty  of  room." 

Ere  five  minutes  were  over  the  little  party,  greatly 
heartened  up  by  finding  this  unexpected  way  out  of 
their  difficulties,  started  once  more,  Roy  encouraging 
Tumbu,  who,  in  truth,  seemed  to  feel  his  task  quite 
a  light  one,  while  Foster-father,  in  his  relief  and  grati- 
tude, allowed  Down,  the  cat,  to  creep  once  more  inside 
his  fur  coat.  Her  weight  made  him  sink  a  little  farther 
into  the  snow,  but  he  was  strong,  and  felt  he  could 
have  done  more  for  the  sake  of  the  children's  safety. 

On  and  on  they  went,  the  frost  film  giving  firmer 
126 


OVER  THE  PASS 

foothold  on  the  top  of  the  pass,  while  the  chill  which 
always  precedes  dawn  took  away  still  more  from  the 
difficulty  of  Tumbu's  task.  In  fact,  the  curved  scab- 
bards slipped  over  the  hard  snow  as  if  it  had  been  ice. 

So  they  went  on  till  a  glimmer  of  dawn  showed  them 
that  the  summit  had  been  reached,  the  downward  slope 
begun.  But  still,  far  and  near,  nothing  but  snow  was 
to  be  seen.  Then  suddenly,  ahead  of  them,  a  shadow 
showed,  a  shambling  shadow!  Tumbu  stopped  dead, 
sniffed,  then  with  a  bound  was  off  full  tilt  after  it,  the 
sledge,  with  the  two  children  in  it,  flying  behind  him! 

For  an  instant  the  others  were  too  much  astonished 
to  speak.  Then  Roy,  with  frantic  cries  to  Tumbu  to 
come  back,  was  off  after  them.  In  vain!  As  he 
crested  a  little  rise  he  saw  by  the  growing  light  a  big 
brown  Isabelline  bear  shambling  along  contentedly, 
seeming  to  go  no  pace  at  all,  yet  gaining  steadily  on 
the  sledge  that  was  giving  chase. 

"I  will  follow  as  fast  as  I  can!"  panted  the  Rajput 
lad  breathlessly,  as  Foster-father,  Meroo,  and  Old 
Faithful,  hampered  by  their  greater  weight,  ran  up. 
"It  is  a  bear;  but  they  cannot  catch  it — and  Tumbu 
will  tire — then  he  always  comes  back.  Follow  you  on 
my  tracks  with  the  women." 

With  that  he  was  off  like  an  arrow  from  a  bow  be- 
hind the  bear,  Tumbu,  the  sledge,  the  Heir-to-Empire 
and  the  Princess  Baksee  Bani  Begun,  who  by  this  time 
had  all  disappeared  behind  the  hilly  horizon. 

127 


CHAPTER  XIV 

IN  THE  Y^VLLEY 

Roy  ran  and  ran  and  ran  until  he  was  breathless; 
yet  still  he  ran,  until  little  by  little  he  recovered  his 
breath  again  as  wild  animals  do.  Every  moment  he 
hoped  to  see  Tumbu  either  returning  or  standing  still, 
panting  and  waiting  for  the  others  to  come  up.  But 
he  saw  nothing  save,  stretching  away  as  far  as  the  eye 
could  reach,  a  smooth,  not  over  steep,  snowy  slope. 
So  far  there  was  little  fear  of  the  sledge  being  overset. 

Then,  after  he  had  run  a  long  way,  he  paused,  for 
there  were  now  two  tracks  instead  of  one.  The  marks 
of  the  bear  went  up  a  little  side  valley,  the  marks 
of  the  sledge  went  down  the  slope.  What  could  have 
happened?  Had  Tumbu  in  his  haste  missed  the  bear's 
trail?  That  was  not  likely.  Having  come  so  far,  had 
he  determined  to  go  on?  That  was  not  likely  either, 
unless  the  children  had  urged  him  forward.  Knowing 
Mirak's  bold,  adventurous  spirit,  this  seemed  possible, 
and  Roy's  heart  sank;  but  he  started  off  running 
again,  knowing  that  no  matter  what  had  happened  he 
must  follow  his  little  master,  and  follow  fast. 

But  as  he  ran  downward  and  dow^nward  the  frost 
film  on  the  snow  became  less  and  less  firm.  The  sun 
was  rising  now,  and  even  its  earliest  rays  seemed  to 
melt  his  foothold,  and  he  began  to  sink  at  every  step. 
128 


IN  THE  VALLEY 

The  sledge,  however,  appeared  from  the  faint  marks 
it  left  to  have  slid  on  without  difficulty.  No  doubt,  he 
thought,  because  of  the  children's  light  weight,  and  be- 
cause the  platform  between  the  swords  and  scabbards 
which  supported  them  was  so  large ;  many  times  larger 
than  his  own  feet!  Why,  even  Tumbu's  four  broad, 
furry  paws  had  sunk  into  the  snow  a  little,  and  would 
doubtless  have  sunk  more  but  for  the  pace  at  which  he 
must  have  been  going. 

The  sledge  was  the  thing!  How  clever  it  was  of 
Old  Faithful  to  remember  Firdoos  Gita  Makani's 
way  of  saving  his  horse ;  but  after  all,  when  one  came 
to  think  of  it,  the  thanks  were  due  to  Babar  the  brave 
for  being  a  real  King,  kind-hearted  to  animals. 

And  now  Roy's  task  became  dangerous  as  well  as 
hard,  for  every  moment  lessened  the  firmness  of  the 
ice  film.  And  he  was  now  running  down  a  shallow 
valley,  which  was  completely  blocked  up  by  drift,  ex- 
cept in  the  very  middle,  where  every  now  and  again 
you  got  a  glimpse  of  a  roaring  torrent — kept  unfrozen 
by  its  snowy  covering — hollowing  its  way  downward ; 
but  for  the  most  part  it  was  invisible,  the  only  sign 
of  it  being  a  roar,  a  tremble  beneath  your  feet.  Thus 
he  was,  as  it  were,  on  a  snow  bridge,  of  which  the  sur- 
face might  at  any  moment  give  way.  And  that  meant 
certain  death  in  the  dark  pools  below.  In  one  place, 
indeed,  he  was  all  but  lost ;  however,  a  wild  leap  landed 
him  on  safe  ground,  and  with  a  gasp  of  fear,  not  for 

129 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

himself,  but  for  the  children  ahead  of  him,  he  ran  on, 
comforted  by  the  sight  of  the  sledge  track  going  on 
and  on. 

After  a  while  he  had  to  cease  running  from  sheer 
fatigue;  but  still  he  plodded  on,  telling  himself  that 
even  half  an  hour  would  have  made  a  difference  in 
the  snow.  That  where  he  found  danger,  the  children 
might  have  found  safety;  and  always  before  him  that 
track  of  the  scabbard-sledge  showed  him  that  so  far,  at 
any  rate,  all  had  gone  well. 

And  then,  as  he  turned  a  sharj^  curve  in  the  shallow, 
snow-covered  valley,  he  saw  a  little  below  him  some- 
thing that  made  him  turn  sick  with  fear.  It  was  the 
sledge,  empty,  deserted!  A  second  glance,  however, 
showed  him  that  it  was  not  overset.  Those  who  had 
been  in  it  must  have  left  it  of  their  own  accord;  and 
the  cause  of  this  was  soon  made  clear.  Within  a  few 
yards  the  snow  ended  and  a  rocky  descent  began, 
down  which  the  sledge  could  not  have  gone.  So  either 
Tumbu  or  the  children  had  been  wise ;  and  they  were 
still  in  front  of  him,  but  how  far  off  who  could  tell? 
The  sun  was  already  high,  hours  must  have  passed 
since  he  first  started  in  chase ;  but  now  that  they  were 
on  foot  there  was  some  chance  of  overtaking  them 
before  anything  dreadful  happened. 

In  his  hurry  Roy  almost  flung  himself  from  rock 
to  rock  down  the  descent ;  but  he  had  to  pause  to  take 
off  his  fur  coat,  for  in  this  sheltered  spot  the  sun  beat 
130 


IN  THE  VALLEY 

shadelessly,  the  snow  melted  as  he  passed,  the  stones 
ran  with  moisture,  and  in  the  crannies  of  the  rocks 
young  green  things  were  everywhere  starting  into 
growth.  The  past  storm  of  bitter  cold  had  ended 
winter ;  spring  had  begun.  And  now  the  rushing  tor- 
rent, escaping  finally  from  its  snowy  blanket,  dashed 
over  the  boulders  beside  him,  carrying  with  it  great 
blocks  of  melting  snow. 

On  and  on  he  went,  thinking  the  descent  would 
never  end,  till  at  a  turn  he  saw  below  him  a  tiny  val- 
ley, just  a  sort  of  cup  in  the  hills,  through  which  the 
stream  rushed,  sparkling  in  the  sunshine.  The  banks 
were  still  brown,  but  they  were  patched  with  great 
beds  of  rose-pink  primula,  blue  gentian,  and  yellow 
dog  pansies.  And  on  a  perfect  carpet  of  these  sat  three 
dark  figures!  Never  in  his  life  was  Roy  so  overjoyed. 
He  forgot  his  fatigue,  and  ran  on  until  he  could  plainly 
see  Princess  Bakshee  Bani  Begum  making  cowslip 
balls  out  of  the  pink  primulas,  the  Heir-to-Empire 
contentedly  munching  a  cold  hearth  cake,  and  giving 
bits  of  it  to  Tumbu,  who,  with  his  head  cocked  on 
one  side,  had  evidently  heard  Roy's  distant  step.  The 
next  instant  a  furious  barking  showed  that  he  was 
on  the  alert  to  defend  his  young  charges,  and  Roy  had 
to  call  to  him  again  and  again  before  he  was  satisfied 
that  the  newcomer  was  a  friend. 

"Why,  what  a  long  time  j^ouVe  been  coming,"  said 
the  Heir-to-Empire  calmly.    "We've  had  our  break- 

131 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

fast,  'cos  we  couldn't  wait  any  longer.  You  can't  have 
come  as  fast  as  you  could.  No  more  would  Tumbu, 
only  we  made  him  not  be  lazy,  'cos  Head-nurse  says — 
what  is  it  she  says,  Bija?" 

The  little  girl  looked  solemn.  ''She  says  every  one 
should  do  everything  as  quick  as  ever  they  can.  So 
we  shouted  at  Tumbu  and  pulled  his  tail  just  a  liddly- 
wee  bit  like  the  bullock  drivers  do.  And  then  we  had  the 
loveliest  ride,  and  Tumbu  wasn't  a  bit  cross ;  but  he 
wouldn't  go  down  the  rocks  and  growled.  So  we  had 
to  get  out  and  walk.  And  then  we  came  here,  and 
first  of  all  we  picked  flowers ;  then  I  had  hearth  cakes 
and  popcorn  in  my  veil,  and  so  we  ate  our  breakfast, 
and  then  you  came — and  that's  all,  thank  you!"  She 
had  just  finished  a  lovely  soft  ball  and  she  flung  it  full 
at  the  Heir-to-Empire.  It  hit  him,  but  he  took  no 
notice.     He  was  thinking  of  something  else. 

"But  where,"  he  began,  and  his  little  lip  went  down, 
*'is  Head-nurse — and  Foster-father — and  Foster- 
mother— and  Old  Faithful— and  Meroo— and  Down? 
What  have  you  done  with  them,  slave?" 

He  was  half  angry,  half  ready  to  cry,  so  Roy, 
though  his  own  heart  failed  him  as  he  thought  of  the 
dangers  of  the  road,  had  to  soothe  and  comfort  him 
by  saying,  as  cheerfully  as  he  could,  that  they  would 
come  before  long.  But  would  they?  Now  that  the 
relief  of  finding  the  children  were  safe  was  over,  poor 
Roy  began  to  see  the  difficulties  before  him.  If  those 
132 


IN  THE  VALLEY 

others  did  not  come,  what  would  he,  a  mere  lad,  do? 
How  could  he  care  for  his  little  master  and  mistress? 
They  had  had  their  hreakfast,  it  is  true — Roy  forgot 
he  had  had  none  himself! — hut  what  could  they  have 
for  supper?  He  could  not  even  think,  he  felt  too 
giddy  and  tired  even  to  sleep;  so,  after  he  had  rolled 
his  fur  coat  into  a  soft  pillow  for  the  little  Prince  and 
Princess,  who  were  drowsy  for  their  mid-day  rest,  and 
covered  them  over  with  their  own,  he  sat  with  his  head 
between  his  hands,  his  eyes  closed,  wishing  he  were 
not  so  stupid,  wishing  he  could  only  think  of  some- 
thing to  do ;  for  in  reality  he  was  quite  wearied  out.  If 
the  others  did  not  come !  Of  course  they  might  come 
at  any  moment ;  and  yet  the  moments  passed  to  min- 
utes, the  minutes  to  hours,  while  the  children  slept  in 
the  sunshine,  and  Roy  felt  that  he  was  a  fool. 

And  then  something  cold  touched  his  hand.  He 
opened  his  eyes  and  saw  that  it  was  Tumbu's  nose; 
Tumbu,  who  had  something  strange  in  his  mouth — 
something  like  a  rabbit  and  yet  like  a  squirrel ! 

In  reality  it  was  a  fresh-killed  young  marmot,  an 
animal  that  lives  amid  the  snow  and  ice  and  rocks  of 
the  very  highest  hills.  Tumbu,  having  handed  over 
charge  of  the  children,  must  have  gone  off  on  his  own 
hunting,  found  a  colony  of  the  quaint  creatures,  and, 
as  usual,  brought  home  his  bag!  Roy  did  not  in  the 
least  know  what  the  marmot  was,  but  he  saw  it  was 
something  to  eat!    The  relief  was  too  much  for  him! 

133 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

Here,  at  least,  was  supper.  He  flung  his  arms  round 
Tumbu's  neck  and  burst  into  tears,  murmuring  with 
choking  sobs  that  he,  Roy,  had  been  foolish,  but 
Tumbu  was  a  wise,  wise,  good  doggie.    And  so  he  was ! 

After  this  Roy  felt  better,  and  having,  as  all  Indian 
boys  used  to  have  in  those  days,  a  flint  and  steel  with 
him,  began  to  look  around  for  fuel  with  which  to  light 
a  fire  and  cook  the  supper.  There  were,  of  course,  no 
trees  and  no  bushes ;  but  right  away  at  the  farther  end 
of  the  long  valley  there  were  some  patches  of  very 
dark  green.  They  did  not  look  promising,  but  he 
would  go  and  see.  They  proved  to  be  a  creeping  sort 
of  evergreen  plant  that  trailed  its  stiff  branches  right 
on  the  very  ground.  He  picked  a  bit,  and  on  trying  to 
light  it,  found  to  his  surprise,  that  it  blazed  up  in  a 
fierce  flame.    For  it  was  juniper,  and  so  full  of  resin. 

He  now  had  the  possibility  of  fire,  so  that  evening 
the  little  cup  in  the  hills  held  quite  comfortable  en- 
campment. 

Roy  had  brought  down  the  sledge,  and  using  the 
swords  and  their  scabbards  as  supports,  had  made  a 
lean-to  tent  against  a  warm  rock  out  of  the  strip  of 
shawl.  In  this  he  had  strewn  juniper  branches  to 
make  a  soft  bed,  and  the  children  could  just  creep 
into  it.  Then  they  had  the  marmot,  roasted  in  its  skin, 
for  supper,  and  all  the  three  were  too  hungry  to  ask 
themselves  if  marmot  flesh  was  as  toothsome  as  rabbit 
or  as  bitter  as  squirrel!  And  Tumbu  ate  the  bones 
134 


IN  THE  VALLEY 

with  an  air  as  if  he  would  say,  "It  is  not  bad,  but 
to-morrow  I  must  catch  two  marmots." 

After  that  there  was  peace  and  quiet  in  the  camp, 
Roy  sitting  beside  the  fire  and  making  it  blaze  up 
every  now  and  again  by  putting  on  a  fresh  juniper 
branch.  For  he  knew  that  since  the  others  had  not 
arrived  by  daylight,  they  must  either  all  have  perished 
on  the  road  or  else  be  waiting  until  the  cold  of  night 
once  more  froze  the  ice-film  on  the  snow.  In  this  case 
the  firelight  seen  from  afar  might  be  a  guide. 

So  the  night  passed.  More  than  once  Roy  fell 
asleep,  for  despite  his  care  the  smoke  of  the  juniper 
branches  could  not  quite  be  avoided,  and  that,  every 
one  knows,  is  terribly  sleepifying.  He  woke  every 
time,  however,  before  the  fire  was  quite  out,  and 
hastened  to  send  up  a  flare  of  flame.  As  he  did  so  the 
last  time  it  was  answered  by  a  hulloo  from  the  rocks 
above,  and  shortly  afterward  Meroo,  the  scullion's, 
blubbering  voice  could  be  heard  as  he  uttered  thanks 
to  Heaven. 

"And  the  others?"  asked  Roy  anxiously,  as  out  of 
the  darkness  Meroo  appeared  and  cast  himself  at  the 
lad's  feet,  bellowing  joy. 

"They  come,  they  come !  They  are  but  a  short  way 
back.  I  saw  the  fire,  and  the  sight  of  it  warmed  the 
cockles  of  my  heart!  Lo!  I  shall  cook  once  more!  I 
shall  not  die  hungry  in  the  wilderness.  Nay!  go  not," 
for  Roy  was  starting  up.    "True !  the  women  are  nigh 

135 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

dead,  and  Foster-father  hath  his  fingers  frostbitten, 
but — nay,  put  more  flame  to  the  fire,  boy!  It  is  the 
fire  they  need!" 

He  was  half  beside  himself,  but  he  was  right.  As 
the  fresh  juniper  branches  blazed  up  Head-nurse  came 
tottering  and  stumbling  into  its  light.  Roy  sprang  to 
help  her,  but  she  pushed  him  aside. 

"The  Heir-to-Empire?"  she  muttered,  her  lips 
almost  refusing  to  form  the  words.  "The  Heir-to- 
Empire,  the  Admired-of-the- World " 

Roy  pointed  to  the  little  tent.  "There!  Safe! 
Well!  Asleep!"  he  cried;  and  the  poor  woman  with 
a  sob  sank  as  she  stood,  and  lay  prone  muttering  long 
strings  of  titles. 

Before  a  minute  had  passed  Foster-father  and 
Foster-mother  struggled  into  the  circle  of  light,  and 
after  a  word  of  question  and  reply,  sank  down  also. 

Then  there  was  a  long  pause,  but  no  sign  came  of 
good  Old  Faithful's  tall,  gaunt  figure.  At  last  Roy 
spoke. 

"Faithful?"  he  asked  in  a  low  whisper.  "What  of 
him?" 

There  was  no  answer  at  first;  only  Foster-father 
covered  liis  face  w^ith  his  hands.  At  last  he  spoke 
gently. 

"He  was  faithful  to  death.  He  was  going  first,  as 
ever,  cheering  us  all  with  his  sayings  of  Firdoos  Gita 
INIakani.  I  saw  him  there  one  moment  turning  to  tell 
136 


IN  THE  VALLEY 

us  words  of  wisdom — the  next  the  snow  hridge  had 
given  way  beneath  liis  feet  and  he  was  gone.  We 
waited  on  the  bank  of  the  awful  chasm  for  a  long  time, 
but  there  was  no  sound  save  the  roaring  of  the  stream 
below.  Firdoos  Gita  Makani,  his  master,  had  called 
him.    Peace  be  with  them  both!" 


137 


CHAPTER  XV 

DEAREST-LADY 

For  two  whole  days  the  Httle  party  was  too  weary 
even  to  attempt  a  move.  They  had  some  provisions 
with  them,  and  Tumbu,  as  good  as  his  word,  brought 
in  more  and  more  marmots;  for  being  unaccustomed 
to  dogs,  they  were  easily  caught. 

The  death  of  Old  Faithful  weighed  upon  the  spirits 
of  all,  and  for  the  first  twelve  hours  or  so  the  Heir-to- 
Empire  was  inconsolable  for  the  loss  of  his  beloved 
cat ;  for  Foster-father  had  found  it  impossible  to  carry 
Down  farther,  and  she  had  remained  behind  in  the 
snow,  protesting  piteously.  It  was  a  terrible  grief, 
and  the  child  had  almost  wept  himself  sick,  when,  to 
every  one's  surprise  and  delight.  Mistress  Down  was 
seen  walking  sedately  across  the  flowers,  her  bushy 
tail  carried  very  high,  not  one  hair  of  her  silky  white 
coat  awry.  She  took  no  notice  of  anybody,  but  passed 
to  the  fire,  sat  down  beside  it  with  stiff  dignity,  curled 
her  tail  round  her  paws,  yawned  and  then  began  to 
purr  gently.  It  was  as  if  nothing  had  happened.  And 
she  certainly  was  not  hungry,  for  she  turned  up  her 
dainty  nose  at  Tumbu's  marmot  bones. 

"Cats,"  said  Head-nurse,  who  had  just  awakened 
from  a  long  sleep  of  many  hours,  "are  not  to  be 
counted  as  other  beasts.  Having  nine  lives,  they  could 
138 


DEAREST-LADY 

afford  to  lose  one;  but  they  never  do.  They  always 
fall  on  their  feet.  It  is  the  way  of  the  world ;  the  more 
you  have  the  more  you  get.  Still,  I  am  glad  she  has 
returned;  and  I  wish  there  were  a  chance  of  others 
turning  up  also,"  she  added  with  a  sigh. 

The  Heir-to-Empire  looked  up  gravely.  *'But 
Faithful  can't  come  back,  you  know.  He  went  to  help 
Grand-dad  to  help  us." 

"Hark  to  the  innocent,"  cried  Foster-mother,  half 
in  smiles,  half  in  tears,  "but  it  is  true.  If  ever  poor 
mortals  were  watched  over  by  saints  in  Paradise,  we 
were ;  and  for  my  part  if  ever  I  get  to  Kabul,  my  duty 
shall  be  paid  to  the  tomb  of  Firdoos  Gita  Makani — 
on  whom  be  peace." 

"Amen!"  added  her  husband  devoutly;  "but  for 
the  memory  of  that  good  man  we  should  not  be  here 
now." 

It  was  on  the  third  day  that  leaving  Meroo  in 
charge  for  a  few  hours  Foster-father  and  Roy  set  off 
to  explore.  They  were  fortunate  in  finding  some 
shepherds'  huts  within  a  walking  distance  for  even 
footsore  women,  and  returned  ere  nightfall  with  a 
skin  bag  of  fresh  milk. 

Early  next  morning,  therefore,  they  all  set  off, 
Roy  girding  on  dead  Faithful's  sword  from  the  sledge 
that  was  wanted  no  more,  and  from  that  moment  feel- 
ing himself  indeed  body-guard  to  the  Heir-to- 
Empire. 

139 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

Once  they  had  reached  safety  from  starvation  in  the 
she2:)herds'  huts,  a  great  desire  for  rest  came  upon 
them  all;  and  for  three  whole  days  they  did  nothing 
but  eat,  and  sleep,  and  rejoice  in  the  early  spring  sun- 
shine, and  the  early  spring  flowers.  For  the  late  snap 
of  extreme  cold  had  passed  and  every  green  thing  was 
hurrying  to  be  ahead  of  its  neighbour.  Bija  made 
endless  cowslip  balls  out  of  the  beautiful  rose-pink 
primulas,  while  Roy  and  JNIirak,  following  the  shep- 
herds' boys,  came  back  with  their  hands  full  of  young 
rhubarb  shoots  and  green  fern  croziers,  which  they 
ate  like  asparagus.  But  this  sort  of  thing  could  not 
last  long,  since  they  wxre  close  to  the  caravan  route 
from  Kandahar  to  Kabul ;  and  sure  enough,  no  sooner 
had  the  snow  on  the  uplands  melted  than  travellers 
began  to  pass  through. 

Thus  news  that  the  little  party  had  escaped  death 
soon  filtered  from  mouth  to  mouth,  till  it  reached  the 
Captain  of  the  Escort,  and  ere  long  Foster-father 
found  himself  and  those  in  his  care  once  more  semi- 
prisoners  on  their  way  to  cruel  brother  Kumran;  all 
the  more  cruel,  doubtless,  because  King  Hamayon  had 
already  begun  the  siege  of  Kandahar,  believing  his 
little  son  to  be  still  within  its  walls. 

Now  Kumran  was  a  far  cleverer  fellow  than  his 
brother  Askurry;  but  there  was  in  him  a  love  of  de- 
ceit for  deceit's  sake,  which  spoiled  all  his  cleverness, 
for  it  made  him  uncertain  what  he  would  do  in  the 
140 


DEAREST-LADY 

end.  This  indeed  is  always  the  case  with  deceitful 
people.  They  know  that  what  they  say  and  do  is  not 
straightforward  and  true,  and  so  they  are  like  sailors 
without  a  compass.  They  have  no  fixed  pole  by  which 
to  steer. 

And,  in  addition,  Kumran  liked  to  be  considered 
clever;  so  he  was  always  outwardly  very  courteous, 
very  polite,  very  charming;  but  what  he  was  within 
none  could  say  for  long. 

Thus  Foster-father's  heart  sank  within  him,  when 
in  the  distance,  down  the  rocky  ravine  through  which 
the  Kabul  River  dashes,  and  along  which  the  caravan 
road  took  its  high-perched  way,  he  saw  the  battle- 
mented  wall  of  the  city,  cresting  the  low  hills  on  which 
the  town  was  built.  It  was  a  fully  fortified  town 
through  which  the  river  ran,  and  at  its  extreme  end, 
commanding  the  wider  plain  below,  stood  the  citadel 
called  the  Bala  Hissar  or  High  Fort.  To  reach  this 
the  travellers  had  to  cross  the  iron  bridge  and  wend 
their  way  through  the  narrow  bazaars. 

Such  wonderful  bazaars  as  they  were,  too! 
Crowded  with  tiny  dark  arched  shops,  like  caverns, 
full  to  the  brim  with  Persian  silk  carpets,  furs  from 
the  north,  turquoises  and  all  kinds  of  precious  stones 
from  out-of-the-way  places  with  unpronounceable 
names.  And  there  were  such  a  quantity  of  cats !  Grey 
Persian  cats  and  white  ones,  and  tabbies  and  black 
cats  who  sat  on  the  balconies  and  stared  at  Down  as 

141 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

she  lay  on  Horse-chestnut's  broad,  wavy  back.  For 
the  Captain  of  the  Escort  had  found  out  what  an  ex- 
cellent creature  the  old  pony  was,  and  had  brought  it 
along  with  him. 

The  High  Fort  was  a  huge  place  with  great  gar- 
dens within  its  battlements  and  several  separate  pal- 
aces. Here,  to  Foster-father's  unbounded  delight, 
they  found  that  Prince  Kumran  was  himself  away, 
having  gone  out  with  a  small  body  of  men  to  the  Kan- 
dahar frontier,  where  King  Humayon's  arrival  had 
aroused  loyalty.  But  what  was  still  more  cheering 
was  the  news  that  he  had  left  orders  for  the  Heir-to- 
Empire  and  his  sister  to  be  handed  over  on  arrival  to 
the  charge  of  Dearest-Lady!  Foster-father  could 
hardly  believe  his  ears;  for  Dearest-Lady  (as  she  was 
always  called  by  all  her  family,  by  all  her  nephews 
and  nieces,  by  all  her  grand  nephews  and  nieces,  and 
cousins,  and  every  one  who  was  lucky  enough  to  be- 
long to  her)  was  simply —  Well!  what  was  she  not? 
Wise,  and  gentle,  and  good,  and  clever— all  this  and 
more.  She  was  the  sort  of  Dearest-Lady  who  lived 
so  long  in  the  hearts  of  those  who  knew  her,  that,  years 
after  she  was  dead  they  would  say,  if  there  was  any 
difficult  point  to  be  settled— "We  wonder  what  Dear- 
est-Lady would  have  said?" 

She  was  old,  of  course,  for  she  was  Babar  the 
Brave's  elder  sister;  the  sister  to  whom  he  had  been 
devoted,  who  had  always  been  to  him  also  "his  Dear- 
142 


DEAREST-LADY 

est-One."  Now,  when  you  come  to  think  of  it,  boys 
and  girls,  that  is  a  nice  sort  of  fame  to  have — to  re- 
main for — let  me  see  how  many  hundred  years? — 
nearly  four — Dearest-Lady,  or  Dearest-Gentleman  to 
all  the  world. 

This  Dearest-Lady  was,  of  course,  the  Heir-to- 
Empire's  grand-aunt,  and  the  mere  sound  of  her  name 
was  enough  to  calm  Foster-father's  fears.  Even 
Head-nurse,  though  she  sniffed  a  little  and  said  she 
had  heard  tell  that  the  Khanzada  Khanum  was  a  trifle 
careless  of  ceremonials,  was  satisfied.  There  was  no 
doubt  that  she  was  the  Highest-Born-in-the-Land. 

As  for  little  Prince  Akbar  himself,  he  only  opened 
his  big,  grave  eyes  widely  when  the  tall  white  figure 
clasped  him  closely  in  its  arms  and  kissed  his  hair 
softly. 

"So  like  his  grandfather,"  she  murmured,  "so  like  I 
so  like! — the  very  hands,  the  very  feet — so  strong,  so 
shapely."  And  both  in  turn  felt  the  touch  of  the  soft 
old  Kps.  "And  thou,  too,  small  maiden,"  she  con- 
tinued kindly,  "welcome  to  one  who  has  never  yet  let 
it  be  said  in  her  hearing  that  God  made  women  weaker 
than  man!  Thou  shalt  learn  here  to  be  proud  thou 
wast  born  a  girl.  And  you  also,  Nurse !  Bring  cool- 
ing sherbets,  slaves,  while  she  tells  me  all  that  has  hap- 
pened." 

Then  she  sat  and  listened  while  Head-nurse  told 
the  tale  of  what  had  happened,  and  her  faded,  gay, 

143 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

old  face  flashed  and  sparkled  and  grew  grave  by 
turns. 

"But  where  is  Tumbu?"  she  interrupted,  "and 
where  is  Down?  Bring  them  hither,  slaves!  Lo!  I 
love  all  animals,  as  my  dear  brother  didl" 

And  she  laughed  over  their  doings,  and  wept  over 
Old  Faithful's  death,  while  Bija  and  JNIirak  sat  cud- 
dled up  close  beside  her,  listening  also  and  enjoying 
the  tale  of  their  own  adventures  as  if  they  had  hap- 
pened to  other  children! 

"Surely,"  she  said  softly  when  Head-nurse  ended, 
"my  dearest  brother — on  whom  be  peace — ^must  have 
protected  them!  Lo!  Mirak!  and  Bija — for  I  shall 
call  you  naught  else  since  they  are  sweet  kindly  names, 
better  than  fine  sounding  titles — this  very  afternoon 
ye  shall  come  with  me  to  the  garden  he  loved,  and 
where  his  earthly  form  lies  at  rest,  and  lay  flowers  on 
his  grave  for  thanks.  Since  he  loved  flowers  as  he 
loved  everything." 

So  that  evening,  about  an  hour  before  sunset  time, 
they  were  all  carried  in  litters  to  the  Garden  of  the 
New  Year,  about  a  mile  beyond  the  city.  It  was  a 
most  peaceful,  lovely  spot,  right  up  on  the  hillside  with 
a  splendid  view  from  it  of  valley  and  mountain  and 
river.  A  fresh  bubbling  spring  ran  through  it,  and 
beneath  the  Judas  trees,  whose  leafless  branches  were 
flushed  with  pink  blossoms,  stretched  great  carpets  of 
spring  flowers. 
144 


DEAREST-LADY 

"Pluck  him  yonder  tulips,  Mirak,"  said  Dearest- 
Lady  with  a  smile.  "He  loved  to  count  their  kinds 
and  those — as  he  wrote — are  'yellow,  double,  and 
scented  like  a  rose'!" 

And  the  boy  who  was  to  grow  to  be  a  greater  man 
even  than  his  grandfather,  though  he  could  scarcely 
be  a  more  lovable  one,  plucked  a  posy  of  the  tulips 
and  laid  them  on  the  plain  marble  slab  which  bore 
nothing  but  the  words,  "Heaven  is  the  eternal  home 
of  the  Emperor  Babar."  And  when  Bija,  with  many 
a  little  feminine  ceremonial,  had  deposited  her  nose- 
gay of  sweet  violets,  and  Head-nurse  and  Foster- 
mother  had  offered  up  their  respects,  they  all  went 
and  sat  down  on  a  grassy  spot,  and  Dearest-Lady, 
who  was  always  full  of  youthful  curiosities  concerning 
all  things,  began  to  question  Roy,  who  as  a  mere  lad 
had  been  allowed  to  come  with  them,  as  to  what  he 
could  remember  of  the  time  before  he  was  picked  up 
in  the  desert. 

"Hold  my  hand,  child,  and  think,"  she  said  at  last, 
"mayhap  it  may  come  to  thee  then.  The  touch  of 
kinship  has  power,  and  if  I  do  not  mistake  me,  there 
is  that  in  thy  blood  that  is  in  mine — royalty!" 

So  she  clasped  Roy's  slim  long-fingered  hand  and 
held  it  tight,  and  the  boy's  face  changed,  his  eyes  grew 
startled,  he  shivered  slightly. 

"Yea!"  he  said,  "now  I  do  remember.  Mother  was 
like  you,  and  she  told  me  I  had  the  mark  of  Kingship 

U5 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

strong  enough,  for  all  the  rebels  might  say — "  As 
he  spoke,  he  drew  down  his  loose  garments,  and  there 
upon  the  clear  olive  of  his  breast,  just  above  the  heart, 
showed  a  small  dark  stain. 

Dearest-Lady  bent  close  to  look  at  it.  "What  is't?" 
she  asked. 

"JNIother  said  it  was  the  sign  of  uttermost  truth,  and 
that  we  all  had  it,"  he  replied,  speaking  dreamily. 

*'But  who  w^ere  we?"  persisted  Dearest-Lady,  her 
kind  eyes  on  the  lad's. 

Just  at  that  moment,  however,  Tumbu,  who  had,  of 
course,  accompanied  them,  burst  out  with  a  series  of 
shrill,  short  barks,  and  Roy  w^as  on  his  feet  in  a  sec- 
ond, his  hand  on  Old  Faithful's  sword,  lest  any  new- 
comer might  bring  danger  to  his  little  master.  But 
as  it  turned  out  Tumbu  was  only  excited  by  a  water- 
rat!  All  the  same  the  interruption  prevented  Dearest- 
Lady's  question  from  being  answered,  for  the  spell 
was  broken. 

"Yea!  thou  wilt  be  true  to  the  very  uttermost,  of 
that  I  am  sure,"  said  Dearest-Lady,  half  pleased,  half 
amused  at  the  young  Rajput's  quick  leap  to  arms, 
"and  so  long  as  I  have  charge  of  the  Heir-to-Empire 
thou  shalt  be  his  esquire.  So  go  call  the  litter-men, 
boy,  it  is  time  we  returned.  I  must  remember  I  am 
gaoler  as  well  as  grand-aunt." 


146 


CHAPTER  XVI 

CRUEL   BROTHER  KUMRAN 

If  Dearest-Lady  was  in  truth  a  gaoler,  she  was  a 
very  kind  one,  and  her  prison  the  pleasantest  prison 
in  the  world.     It  would  take  too  long  to  tell  how 
happily  the  next  four  months  passed,  not  only  for  the 
two  children,  but  for  Roy  and  Foster-father,  Head- 
nurse  and  Foster-mother.    Even  misshapen  Meroo,  in 
the  kitchen,  felt  the  better  for  helping  to  cook  the 
Khanzada  Khanum's  dinner.     For  that  was  one  of 
Dearest-Lady's  virtues,  she  always  made  people  feel 
contented,  and  as  if  they  were  doing  the  right  thing. 
So  even  Prince  Kumran,  when  he  returned  to  Kabul, 
though  he  frowned  at  the  big,  bold,  frank-faced  boy 
who  claimed  to  be  the  Heir-to-an-Empire  which  his 
own  fingers  itched  to  have,  did  not  feel  inclined  to 
interfere  with  his  aunt.     The  truth  being  that,  like 
the  rest  of  the  family,  he  loved  and  trusted  her  be- 
yond measure;  perhaps  more  than  did  any  of  his 
brothers,  since  she  had  brought  him  up  as  a  child.  And 
she,  in  her  turn,  though  she  knew  his  faults,  though 
she  not  only  bewailed  them,  but  resented  them,  at 
times  most  fiercely,  could  not  forget  that  he  had  been 
her  nurshng,  could  not  forget,  above  all,  that  he  was 
her  dear  brother  Babar's  son. 

Thus  all  went  smoothly  in  the  Bala  Hissar,  where 

147 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

young  Prince  Akbar,  now  close  on  three  years  old, 
looked  and  talked  and  acted  like  one  of  six.  This 
same  strength  of  his  was  always  getting  him  into 
scrapes  with  people  who  did  not  believe  he  was  so 
young,  or,  knowing  him  to  be  so  young,  did  not  be- 
lieve him  to  be  so  strong  1 

He  played  a  similar  trick  to  the  one  he  had  played 
on  cousin  Yakoob  at  Kandahar  on  his  big  cousin  Ibra- 
him, Prince  Kumran's  son.  It  was  about  a  fine  kettle- 
drum all  tasselled  in  royal  fashion,  with  gold  and 
silver,  that  Ibrahim's  father  had  given  him.  Being  a 
selfish  boy,  he  would  not  allow  Akbar  to  touch  it; 
whereupon  the  Heir-to-Empire,  after  a  brief  tussle, 
carried  off  the  kettledrum  and  beat  it  loudly  through 
the  palace ! 

Kumran  hearing  of  this  was  very  angry,  for  the 
beating  of  a  kettledrum  is  a  sign  of  Empire. 

"Keep  that  young  fighting  cock  of  thine  in  better 
order,  madam,"  he  said  to  his  aunt,  "or  I  shall  have  to 
find  him  a  sterner  gaoler." 

Whereupon  she  flashed  out  and  told  him  fairly  that 
short  of  killing  the  child,  and  for  that  crime  even  he 
was  not  prepared,  there  was  no  way  of  preventing  the 
Heir-to-Empire  from  being  what  he  was,  a  born  king. 
That  was  her  way  of  quelling  Kumran.  By  boldly 
setting  aside  the  thought  of  murder  as  impossible,  she 
hoped  to  make  it  so ;  but  she  was  not  sure,  and  after 
this  she  kept  Mirak  and  Bija  under  control. 
148 


CRUEL  BROTHER  KUMRAN 

It  was  not  much  good,  however,  when  just  as 
autumn  was  coming  on  news  arrived  from  Kandahar 
that  Humayon  had  at  last  succeeded  in  taking  the  city, 
and,  disappointed  in  not  finding  his  son  in  the  palace, 
was  preparing  to  march  on  Kabul. 

Then  the  worst  side  of  Prince  Kumran  showed  it- 
self at  once.  Like  all  deceitful  people,  he  was  a  cow- 
ard at  heart,  and  cowardice  made  him  think  of  im- 
mediate revenge  upon  his  victorious  brother.  Of  what 
use  would  even  two  victories  be  to  him  if  the  Heir-to- 
Empire  was  beyond  recall? 

So  Kumran's  charming  polished  manner  vanished 
in  an  instant,  and  one  day,  without  any  warning,  little 
Mirak,  playing  in  the  garden,  was  kidnapped  by  two 
stalwart  Abyssinian  slaves  and  carried  off,  howling 
horribly  and  fighting  with  his  fists,  to  the  palace  where 
Kumran's  wife  lived.  Tumbu,  who  was  with  him  at 
the  time,  made  a  gallant  show  of  resistance,  and  actu- 
ally bit  one  of  the  kidnapper's  calves  to  the  bone ;  but 
when  he  found  himself  confronted  with  a  whole  regi- 
ment of  armed  men  who  ran  out  to  their  assistance,  he 
gave  up  the  hopeless  fight,  and  flew  off  to  tell  Roy 
what  had  happened.  And  Roy,  missing  his  Httle  mas- 
ter, fled  to  tell  Dearest-Lady.  Her  face  paled,  but 
she  did  not  hesitate. 

"My  litter!  page!"  she  cried,  and  drawing  her  white 
veil  closer  round  her,  she  went  straight  to  the  audi- 
ence hall,  where  Kumran  was  receiving  his  nobles ;  her 

149 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

great  age,  her  great  nobility,  giving  her  a  right,  even 
as  a  woman,  to  appear  amongst  them. 

All  eyes  turned  to  her  tall,  upright,  slim  fig- 
ure, every  ear  thrilled  to  the  tones  of  her  clear 
voice. 

"By  what  right,"  she  asked,  "has  Kumran,  the 
nephew  I  have  nurtured,  stolen  from  my  care  the  son 
of  his  elder  brother,  the  Heir  to  that  Empire  which 
Babar  the  Brave  gave,  dying,  into  the  hands  of 
Humayon,  his  eldest  son  ?  I  say  there  can  be  no  right ; 
and  if  it  be  wrong  then  will  God's  curse  light  on  the 
man  who  undoes  his  father's  work.  Lo!  he  is  worse 
than  parricide,  for  he  would  kill  that  for  which  his 
father  gave  his  life." 

Xow  this  appeal  was  a  very  strong  one;  for  the 
story  of  how^  Babar  the  Brave  gave  up  his  own  life 
to  save  that  of  his  darling  son,  Humayon,  is  one  of 
the  most  touching  tales  in  Indian  history,  and  none  of 
Babar 's  immediate  family  could  even  think  of  it  with- 
out strong  emotion.  So  it  was  Kumran's  turn  to  grow 
pale. 

"August  lady,"  he  replied,  evading  her  question, 
"this  is  a  matter  of  policy  with  which  women  have 
naught  to  do.  King  Humayon  hath  taken  Kandahar, 
he  hath  imprisoned  and  degraded  his  brother  Askurry, 
and  for  this,  I,  Kumran,  challenge  him!" 

"And  wherefore?"  asked  Dearest-Lady  boldly. 
"Did  not  Askurry  deserve  it?  Nay!  did  he  not  de- 
150 


CRUEL  BROTHER  KUMRAN 

serve  death?  Did  he  not  steal  the  King-of -Empire? 
Did  he  not  defy  the  king?  Did  he  not  send  the  Heir- 
to-Empire  away,  instead  of  returning  him  to  his 
father's  keeping?  I  tell  you,  nephew  Kumran,  that 
your  father,  Babar  the  Brave,  Babar  the  Kindly, 
Babar  the  Generous,  Babar  the  Just,  whom  all  men 
loved  for  his  mercy,  would  have  given  death  for  such 
faults — and  given  it  rightly.  And  will  you,  like  a 
fool,  court  death  also?"  She  looked  round  the  as- 
sembly to  see  many  a  sullen,  suspicious  face,  and  un- 
derstood that  danger  lay  close  at  hand.  So  her  resolu- 
tion was  taken  in  a  moment.  "See  you!"  she  went  on, 
"nothing  has  been  done  yet  to  make  forgiveness  im- 
possible. Well!  I— Khanzada  Khanum,— old  as  I 
am,  will  go  forth  to  meet  King  Humayon  and  plead 
thy  cause.  I  will  ask  what  boon  you  wish,  and  I 
promise  it  shall  be  yours.  Humayon  will  give  much 
in  exchange  for  his  son,  and  none  have  ever  denied  me 
anything.  Shall  it  be  so?"  Then  seeing  hesitation 
she  put  in  a  crafty  word:  ''There  will  be  time  after- 
wards for — anj^thing " 

Kamran  looked  round  his  nobles,  then  into  his  own 
heart.  What  he  saw  there  was  such  a  tissue  of  lies 
and  deceit  that  he  could  find  no  clear  decision ;  so,  as 
usual,  he  temporised.  "It  is  worth  a  trial,"  he  mur- 
mured.   "I  might  ask  for  much." 

"Ask  for  all  and  everything,"  said  Dearest-Lady, 
who  felt  she  had  gained  her  point;  "I  make  but  one 

151 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

condition.    The  child  must  remain  unharmed  until  I 
return." 

Again  Kumran  hesitated.  Again  he  looked  in  his 
own  heart.  Again  he  found  no  clear  cause  for  de- 
cision there;  so  he  said  doubtfully: 

"Until  you  return?" 

"Nay!  swear  it,"  came  the  high,  insistent  voice. 
"Say  before  them  all,  'By  the  memory  of  my  dear 
father  no  harm  shall  come  to  the  child  ere  you  re- 
turn.' " 

Half  unwillingly  Kumran  repeated  the  words  and 
Dearest-Lady  gave  a  sigh  of  relief.  She  had  gained 
her  point.  But  now  that  she  had  to  face  the  conse- 
quences of  her  offer  to  go  forth  and  meet  Humaj^on 
her  heart  sank  within  her ;  for  she  was  very  old  and  not 
over  strong.  The  journey  was  long;  winter  was  com- 
ing on  fast.  Still  it  had  to  be  done,  and  at  once.  For 
Kumran's  promise  of  safety  to  the  Heir-to-Empire 
was  only  during  her  absence,  and  who  knew  whether 
his  craft  might  not  claim  freedom  to  do  as  he  chose 
ere  she  started! 

So  she  made  her  arrangements  for  that  very  even- 
ing, and  she  had  much  to  do.  To  begin  with  she  must 
see  the  Heir-to-Empire  the  very  last  thing,  and  make 
certain  that  he  was  well  cared  for.  Then  she  had  to 
arrange  for  the  safety  and  comfort  of  Head-nurse, 
Foster-mother  and  little  Bija,  for  it  was  unlikely  they 
would  be  allowed  to  be  with  the  little  Prince.  He 
152 


CRUEL  BROTHER  KUMRAN 

must,  however,  have  some  one  with  him  to  whom  the 
child  was  accustomed,  and  Roy,  being  still  quite  a 
lad,  might  not  be  considered  dangerous.  Then  his 
gift  of  story-telling  might  make  the  ladies  in  the 
women's  apartments  more  inclined  to  have  him. 
Anyhow  she  must  try  her  best  to  secure  his  stopping 
with  his  young  master,  and  to  this  end  she  ordered  him 
some  fine  clothes  and  gave  him  a  finely  bedizened  lute; 
for  since  he  came  to  Kabul  they  had  found  out  that  he 
could  play  the  vina  beautifully. 

Thus  just  before  sunsetting,  leaving  poor  Head- 
nurse  and  Foster-mother  in  floods  of  tears,  while  poor 
little  Bija  was  sobbing  her  very  heart  out,  and  good 
dog  Tumbu  was  slowly  wagging  his  tail  as  his  eyes 
asked  sorrowfully  if  he  might  not  come,  too,  she 
started  on  her  journey,  going  round  by  the  Chief 
Palace  on  her  way. 

Now,  Dearest-Lady's  visits  were  considered  to  be  an 
honour,  so  she  had  no  difficulty  in  gaining  admittance. 
And  once  inside  the  women's  apartments  she  simply 
turned  to  the  first  attendant  and  said  curtly  that  she 
had  come  to  see  the  Heir-to-Empire  and  say  farewell 
to  him;  therefore  he  must  either  be  brought  to  her  or 
she  must  go  to  him.  Boldness  succeeded,  as  it  always 
does,  and  she  was  shown  into  a  room  where  she  found 
little  Prince  Akbar  playing  contentedly  with  Down 
the  cat,  who  was  running  about  after  a  ball  like  a 
young  kitten.     She  stopped  when  she  saw  Dearest- 

153 


THE  ADVEXTURES  OF  AKBAR 

Lady,  and  giving  an  apologetic  miaow,  as  who  should 
say,  "I  was  ohhged  to  amuse  him  somehow,"  settled 
herself  down  on  the  rug  and  began  as  usual  to  purr. 
Of  course  JNlirak  forgot  all  about  her  in  his  joy  at 
seeing  Dearest-Lady  and  Roy,  and  it  w^as  some  time 
before  the  former  could  ask  the  attendant  how  the  cat 
had  managed  to  get  there. 

"Highness,"  said  the  woman,  "it  is  impossible  to 
keep  cats  out  if  they  want  to  come  in.  She  appeared 
at  the  window  three  times,  and  three  times  I  put  her 
downstairs.  Then  I  gave  in.  It  is  no  use  quarrelling 
with  cats." 

JNIeanwhile  notice  of  Her  Highness  Dearest-Lady's 
arrival  had  reached  Kumran's  wife  and  she  hastened 
to  Httle  Akbar's  prison  room.  But  once  more  Dearest- 
Lady  was  bold  and  took  the  first  word. 

"I  came  to  bid  the  boy  farewell,  content  to  trust 
him  to  thy  kind  care,  my  niece,"  she  said;  "and  also 
to  leave  with  him  this  Rajput  singer,  who  has  the  art 
of  amusing  the  child — and  other  folk  also.  Roy!  sing 
us  one  of  thy  tales,  that  the  Princess  may  hear  thee." 

And  Roy,  knowing  his  part,  sang  as  he  had  never 
sung  before.  "I  will  sing  of  how  the  palm  squirrels 
helped  the  Great  Ram  to  find  his  wife,  Sita  the  Peer- 
less, whom  the  wicked  Giant  Ravana  had  carried  off. 
We  sing  it  to  the  squirrels  when  we  feed  them  in  our 
country.  Perhaps  Her  Highness  does  not  know  what 
a  palm  squirrel  is.  It  is  tiny,  tiny,  no  bigger  than  a 
154, 


CRUEL  BROTHER  KUMRAN 

rat,  but  it  has  a  bushy  tail  and  four  dark  stripes  hke 
finger  marks  down  its  goldy-coloured  back.  And  it 
never  does  anything  but  play,  is  never  anything  but 
happy;  and  this  is  why": 

Then  he  smote  the  strings  of  the  vina  till  they 
thrilled  again,  and  began,  his  high  voice  warbling  and 
carolling  like  a  summer  bird. 

"Pretty !  Pretty !  Pretty !  are  you  there,  my  sweet, 
In  your  leafy  seat,  where  the  branches  meet? 
Wasting  all  the  sunny  hours 
Pulling  down  the  mango  flowers 
With  your  dainty  feet. 

"Pretty,  prettiest  thing  yawning  as  you  lie 
Watching  with  glad  eye,  busy  life  go  by. 
Not  the  tiniest  sense  of  duty 
In  your  careless  days,  my  beauty, 
'Neath  the  cloudless  sky. 


"Happiest,  merriest  ways. 
Knowing  no  gainsays,  so  the  story  says. 
Since  the  Great  Ram  loved  and  blessed  you. 
With  his  care-worn  hand  caressed  you. 
In  the  olden  days. 

"Then,  when  he  was  seeking  Sita,  peerless  maid. 
By  his  foes  dismayed.  Ram,  her  lover,  bade 
All  the  beasts  and  birds  and  fishes 
Leave  their  play  to  do  his  wishes. 
Fight  to  give  him  aid. 

155 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

"And  the  golden  squirrel  sprang  at  his  behest. 
Nestled  to  his  breast,  first  to  join  the  quest. 
But  Great  Ram's  grave  eyes  grew  tender. 
Smiled  upon  the  warrior  slender. 
Braver  than  the  rest! 

"  'Nay !  thou  art  too  pretty !   fearless  little  heart, 
Thou  should'st  have  no  part  in  Strife's  bitter  art; 
Live  to  show  man,  worn  and  weary. 
One  blythe  soul  for  ever  cheery, 
Free  from  sorrow's  smart/ 

"Laid  his  kind  hand  softly  on  its  golden  hair. 
So  palm  squirrels  bear,  where  Ram's  fingers  were. 
Four  dark  shadows  on  them,  showing 
Gladdest  life  must  lose  its  glowing 
From  the  touch  of  care. 

"So  the  squirrels'  birthright  is  to  want  for  naught, 
Have  no  grief  or  thought,  know  not  'must'  or  'ought.' 
Yet  upon  their  gold  there  lingers 
Shades  of  care,  that  Great  Ram's  fingers 
For  their  blessing  wrought." 

'IVah!  Wahr  cried  the  Queen,  delighted.  "He 
can  stop  if  he  likes." 

Ten  minutes  after  Roy  had  finished  his  song  Dear- 
est-Lady's litter  paused  for  a  moment  on  a  high- 
perched  corner  of  the  road  towards  Kandahar,  to  give 
her  a  last  look  of  the  fair  city  of  Kabul.  Her  bright 
old  face  was  bright  still,  undimmed  by  care.  She  was 
old  and  frail,  she  was  going  a  wearisome,  trying  jour- 
156 


CRUEL  BROTHER  KUMRAN 

ney;  yet,  for  the  present,  she  knew  that  she  had  saved 
the  Heir-to-Empire's  hfe.  That  at  any  rate  was  se- 
cure until  she  returned — and  she  might  never  return! 
The  thought  made  her  smile.  "Forward,  slaves!"  she 
cried  cheerfully,  and  Kabul,  the  city  she  loved  so  well, 
was  left  behind  without  one  regret. 

And  she  was  right.  She  had  saved  the  Heir-to- 
Empire's  hfe;  for  at  that  very  minute  the  door  of 
little  Prince  Akbar's  room  opened  wide,  and  Roy 
starting  up  found  himself  face  to  face  with  cruel 
Uncle  Kumran  followed  by  two  men  with  drawn 
swords.  And,  alas  for  Roy !  he  had  no  sword  to  draw, 
for  Old  Faithful's  sabre  did  not  fit  the  disguise  of  a 
Rajput  bard.  Despite  that,  he  stepped  forward 
boldly,  though  his  heart  beat  to  suffocation.  For 
Kumran's  face  was  cruel  indeed. 

Still,  for  one  second,  the  latter's  attention  was  dis- 
tracted. He  had  wanted  no  witnesses  to  what  he 
meant  to  do. 

"How  camest  thou  hither,  slave?"  he  asked  fiercely. 

And  Roy  gave  him  back  the  simple  truth,  no  more, 
no  less ;  but  it  was  sufficient. 

"Her  Highness  Khanzada  Khanum  brought  me 
hither  to  be  with  the  Heir-to-Empire  ere  she  left  at 
sunset." 

Kamran  started  back.  "Left?  Hath  she  left  al- 
ready?" he  asked,  his  face  pahng.  So  he  stood  for  a 
moment  irresolute,  the  words  of  his  own  oath  pealing 

157 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

through  his  brain,  "By  the  memory  of  my  father  I 
promise."  That  was  not  one  which  any  son  of  Babar's 
was  ever  Hkely  to  break.  "Sheath  your  swords, 
fools!"  he  said  at  last  bitterly;  "they  are  not  needed. 
I  am  not  the  first  man  who  has  been  outwitted  by  a 
woman." 


158 


CHAPTER  XVII 

IMPRISONMENT 

But  if  Kumran  was  let  and  hindered  by  his  oath 
from  actually  killing  the  Heir-to-Empire  in  cold 
blood,  or,  in  lesser  degree,  from  treating  him  so  harshly 
that  he  might  die,  he  did  not  feel  so  bound  towards  the 
others ;  and  being  cruel  by  nature,  he  set  to  work  upon 
them  at  once.  Foster-father  he  sent  to  the  State 
prison,  which  was  down  a  well  in  the  big  courtyard. 
There  were  two  of  these  prison-wells,  in  which  the 
water  was  reached  by  a  flight  of  steep  steps,  and  where 
dark,  underground  cells  opened  on  to  the  deep  silent 
pool.  They  were  terribly  damp,  but  here  poor  Foster- 
father  had  to  drag  out  long,  miserable  days,  cut  off 
even  from  news  of  the  others.  Until  one  day,  just 
when  the  sentry  was  eating  his  mid-day  meal,  he  heard 
a  violent  barking,  and  by  swinging  himself  up  by  the 
bars  of  the  tiny  shaft  of  the  well  he  could  just  get  a 
glimpse  of  Tumbu  on  the  steps.  Why  had  he  come? 
Perhaps  he  had  been  sent ;  if  so  he  would  come  again 
at  the  same  time.  All  that  night  Foster-father  lay 
awake,  feverishly  wondering  what  Tumbu  had  meant, 
and  all  the  next  morning,  having  no  means  of  telling 
the  time,  he  waited  and  waited  anxiously,  until,  just 
as  he  was  beginning  to  give  up  hope,  the  familiar  bark 
echoed  down  the  well,  and  there  was  good  old  Tumbu 

159 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

on  the  steps !  So  he  must  have  been  sent  by  some  one ; 
and  therefore  some  one  must  be  alive  and  desire  him 
to  know  the  fact. 

In  truth,  both  his  wife,  Foster-mother,  and  Head- 
nurse  had  been  racking  their  brains  how  to  find  out 
where  either  the  Heir-to-Empire  or  Foster-father 
were  imprisoned  until  little  Bija  had  said,  "Tell 
Tumbu  to  seek  for  them.  If  you  show  him  ]\Iirak's 
cap  and  say,  'Go  seek,'  he  will  go." 

And  so  he  did ;  but  it  was  a  long,  long  time  before 
he  found  out  where  Mirak  had  hidden  himself,  for  he 
had  gone  to  the  big  palace  in  a  litter,  and  so  had  left 
no  trace.  Then  little  Bija  came  to  the  rescue  once 
more. 

"You  say,  Foster-mother,  that  you  feel  sure  that 
Down  must  have  gone  away  to  keep  INIirak  company. 
Now  she  can't  be  prisoned,  'cos  cats  won't  be  caught 
unless  they  want  to  be  caught,  and  she  doesn't  want 
to  be,  of  course.  So  she  must  be  going  about,  so  w^hy 
don't  you  tell  Tumbu  to  seek  for  Down;  then  we 
should  find  where  Mirak  was." 

"But  we  haven't  got  anything  of  Do^vn's  to  show 
him,"  argued  Foster-mother.  And  that  was  a 
puzzler. 

At  last  Head-nurse  said,  "I  believe  all  cats  have 
the  same  smell,  else  why  do  all  dogs  go  after  all  cats? 
At  any  rate,  it  would  be  worth  trying." 

So  they  got  a  fine,  large,  handsome  white  cat  in  the 
160 


IMPRISONMENT 

bazaar,  and  said  to  Tumbu,  "Go  seek!"  And  then 
there  was  the  most  awful  scrimmage  that  ever  was 
seen.  Tumbu  was  after  the  cat  in  a  second,  and  the 
cat  jumped  for  protection  on  Head-nurse,  and  Head- 
nurse  howled,  while  Tumbu  deafened  everybody  by 
yowls ;  for  the  cat  had  caught  him  on  the  nose !  Peace 
was  not  restored  till  pussy  had  made  her  escape  back 
to  the  bazaar  through  the  window. 

"That  was  not  a  success,"  sighed  poor  Head-nurse 
as  she  put  herself  tidy ;  but  after  all  it  was  not  such  a 
failure,  since,  either  from  putting  two  and  two  to- 
gether, or  by  mere  chance,  Tumbu  appeared  the  very 
next  day  barking  and  frolicking  after  his  usual  fash- 
ion when  he  wanted  them  to  go  out,  and  then  led  them 
straight  to  a  lonely  corner  of  the  palace  garden, 
whence,  looking  upwards,  they  could  plainly  see  Down 
seated  on  a  narrow  window  sill.  And  the  next 
moment,  hearing  the  familiar  bark,  who  should  pop 
his  head  out  of  the  window  but  Roy ! 

"All's  well,"  he  whispered  rapidly  seeing  them  be- 
low him ;  then  withdrew  his  head  swiftly.  For  he  had 
determined  never  by  anything  or  in  any  way  to  risk 
being  sent  away  from  the  little  Heir-to-Empire. 

But  the  others  were  more  than  satisfied  with  the 
whisper. 

"Now,"  said  little  Bija,  who  was  beginning  to  man- 
age her  nurses,  "Tumbu  must  find  Foster-father  and 
tell  him/'    And  this,  we  have  seen,  he  did. 

161 


THE  ADVEXTURES  OF  AKBAR 

Even  so,  with  the  daily  content  of  knowing  that  all 
were  at  least  safe,  the  time  passed  with  deadly  slow- 
ness, for  the  days  grew  to  weeks,  the  weeks  to  months, 
bringing  no  change.  Denied,  as  he  was,  the  outdoor 
life,  the  fresh  air  to  which  he  had  been  accustomed, 
little  Prince  Akbar  grew  pale  and  thin.  But  his 
spirits  did  not  flag,  and  he  would  laugh  over  the  tale 
of  how  Rajah  Rasalu  swung  the  Seventy  JNIaidens  as 
heartily  as  ever,  though  sometimes  his  little  lip  would 
go  down  and  he  would  say,  "If  Bija  were  only  here 
I'd  never  ask  her  to  tumble  dow^n.  I  would  go  on 
swinging  till  she  wanted  me  to  stop." 

So  the  winter  came  on,  but  still  Dearest-Lady  did 
not  return.  A  letter  had  come  from  her  saying  she 
had  reached  Kandahar  in  safety — that  she  was  stay- 
ing in  the  Kar  Garden  outside  the  town  which  her 
father  had  planted — that  King  Himiayon  was  not 
angry — that  he  had  already  forgiven  Prince  Askurry 
— that  Kumran  had  nothing  to  fear  if  he  only  kept 
to  his  promise. 

The  prisoners,  of  course,  knew  nothing  of  this  let- 
ter, but  the  effect  of  it  showed  in  a  greater  freedom. 
Foster-father  was  moved  to  a  more  comfortable 
dungeon  and  Bija,  Head-nurse  and  Foster-mother 
were  allowed  to  go  and  see  the  Heir-to-Empire. 
Their  delight  may  be  imagined,  and  even  Tumbu 
shared  in  the  joy,  for,  when  he  was  refused  admittance 
and  left  down  below,  he  dashed  up  the  stairs,  evading 
162 


IMPRISONMENT 

the  sentries  and  barked  furiously  at  the  door  to  be  let 
in.  And  the  meeting  between  him  and  Mirak  was  so 
pretty  that  the  sentry  had  not  the  heart  to  insist  on 
poor  doggie  going  down  again.  And  this,  in  its  way, 
was  a  good  thing,  for  it  was  the  beginning  of  a  sort 
of  friendship  between  the  young  Prince  and  this  par- 
ticular Afghan  sentry.  Sometimes,  after  he  had  been 
relieved,  he  would  come  up  to  the  little  captive's  room 
for  a  bit,  and  listen  to  Roy's  stories,  or  tell  a  few  in 
his  turn ;  for  he  had  wandered  about,  over  half  India, 
giving  the  use  of  his  sword  to  any  one  who  would  pay 
him  well  for  it. 

"Lo!  I  have  not  heard  that  tale  since  I  was  in 
Raj  put  ana!"  he  said  one  day  after  Roy  had  been  sing- 
ing an  old-world  legend  of  fighting  days.  "It  was  an 
old  Brahman  of  Suryamer  told  it  me  of  the  Sun- 
Heroes." 

Roy's  face  flushed  up  in  a  second.  "Suryamer  is 
mine!"  he  said  proudly;  "I  am  of  the  Sun- 
Heroes!" 

Then  he  started  to  his  feet,  pale  as  ashes.  "I  have 
remembered!  I  have  remembered  at  last,"  he  said 
almost  with  a  cry.  "It  is  true!  I  was  Rajah  of 
Suryamer!    It  has  come  back  to  me  at  last!" 

Then  as  suddenly  he  crouched  down  again  and  cov- 
ered his  face  with  both  hands. 

"Roy!"  said  little  Prince  Akbar  gravely.  "Why 
should  you  cry  because  you  are  a  King?    I  don't." 

163 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

The  sentry  laughed.  "By  my  word,"  he  remarked, 
*'there  is  a  blessed  pair  of  you  Kings!" 

"Of  course  there  is,"  assented  the  Heir-to-Empire 
with  the  greatest  dignity.  "I  have  been  one  ever  since 
I  was  born,  and  I  always  knew  Roy  belonged  to  me!" 
Then  in  quick  impulse  he  ran  over  to  the  Rajput  lad 
and  flung  his  arms  round  his  neck  crying,  "Oh  Roy! 
Roy!    I'm  so  glad  you  are  my  brother!" 

"Xot  so  fast,  young  sir,"  objected  the  sentry,  who 
was  hugely  amused  and  interested;  "what  proof  can 
you  bring  of  this,  stripling?" 

Roy  lifted  a  scared  face ;  then  hung  his  head. 

"Xone,  save  my  memory,  and  this  mark  upon  my 
breast.  "Sly  mother  said  we  all  had  the  stamp  of  truth 
over  our  hearts." 

The  sentry  shrugged  his  shoulders.  "That  is  not 
much  in  this  wicked  w^orld,"  he  said  carelessly.  "And 
anyhow  it  matters  little  if  either  or  both  of  you  be 
Kings,  since  ye  are  in  cruel  Kumran's  power." 

"Xot  till  my  Dearest-Lady  returns,"  dissented 
little  Akbar  gravely.  "Head-nurse  said  so;  and  if 
cruel  Uncle  Kumran  is  to  get  me,  Dearest-Lady  won't 
come  back.    I  know  she  won't — so  there!" 

And,  as  events  turned  out,  the  Heir-to-Empire  was 
right ! 

But  a  few  days  afterwards  a  messenger,  bearing  a 
blue  handkerchief  in  his  hand— the  sign  of  death 
tidings  to  the  Royal  Family — appeared  in  hot 
164 


IMPRISONMENT 

haste  before  the  nobles  assembled  in  the  Audience 
Hall. 

"News!  News!"  he  cried  breathlessly.  "Cover 
your  heads  with  dust,  ye  people,  while  ye  thank  the 
Merciful  One  that  Khanzada  Khanum  of  the  House 
of  Babar  hath  found  freedom,  that  after  a  long  and 
godly  hfe  she  hath  found  rest  and  peace.  Bismillah — 
ul " 

The  long  Arabic  sentence  went  rolling  through  the 
Hall,  while  Kumran  stood  stunned  by  the  suddenness 
of  his  aunt's  death.  And  yet  it  might  have  been  ex- 
pected; the  journey  was  far  too  trying  for  one  of 
her  years.    And  she  had  risked  it— for  what? 

With  a  rush  Kumran  realised  that  his  promise  still 
held  good,  and  for  the  moment  disappointment,  anger, 
savage  desire  for  revenge  swept  away  his  regret.  Yet 
even  he  could  not  fail  to  be  touched  by  the  letter  his 
brother  Humayon  had  sent  him  by  the  hand  of  the 
messenger.  Dearest-Lady  had,  he  said,  pled  his, 
Kumran's,  cause  well,  and  he,  Humayon,  was  ready  to 
forgive  for  the  sake  of  the  dead  woman  who  had  loved 
them  both,  whom  they  both  loved,  and  who  had  died 
with  a  smile. 

But  such  softer  feelings  did  not,  could  not  linger 
long  in  a  mind  that  had  no  fixed  belief  in  anything. 
Before  a  day  had  passed  the  feeling  that  he  had  been 
tricked  onto  an  oath  he  dared  not  break  came  upper- 
most again.     Foster-father  was  ordered  back  to  his 

165 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

damp  dungeon,  the  little  Heir-to-Empire  and  Roy 
were  taken  from  the  Palace  and  givm  over  to  the 
charge  of  a  man  noted  for  his  hardness  of  heart.  Only 
the  women  and  little  Bija,  heing  of  no  account,  were 
turned  out  into  the  streets  to  beg  or  starve  as  they 
chose. 

Then  followed  a  terrible  month  in  which  the  little 
party  were  cut  off  from  news  of  one  another.  Only 
Down,  the  cat,  wandering  over  roofs  and  Heaven 
knows  where  and  how,  looked  in  here  and  there  to 
settle  on  some  one's  lap  and  purr. 

"Cats,"  said  poor  Head-nurse,  as  she  sat  opposite 
Foster-mother,  grinding  for  all  they  were  worth  at  a 
stone  hand-mill  in  order  to  gain  enough  to  keep  Bija 
from  starving,  "are  of  all  God's  creatures  the  most 
contented ;  and  so  little  pleases  them.  Hark !  to  Down 
how  she  purrs,  just  because  she  has  found  us  poor 
miserable  women." 

"Allah!"  replied  Foster-mother  more  cheerfully. 
"Is  love  such  a  little  thing?  I  think  not,  and  Down 
hath  seen  my  darling.  Of  that  I  feel  sure ;  she  would 
not  come  and  purr  otherwise." 

Still  it  was  silent  comfort  and  there  was  so  much 
going  on;  so  much  that  even  the  "miserable  women" 
could  not  hear,  though  they  were  free  to  come  and  go. 
But  one  day  when  Down  was  purring  on  Bija's  lap 
in  the  straw  thatch  which  was  all  the  three  had  for 
lodging,  a  passer-by  paused  to  say: 
166 


IMPRISONMENT 

"That  is  the  cat  I  used  to  see  with  the  httle  King. 
Have  you  ought  to  do  with  him,  sister?" 

"I  am  his  sister,"  replied  Bija  haughtily,  whereat 
the  sentry,  for  it  was  he,  laughed ;  but  for  all  that  he 
paused  to  tell  the  two  women  what  he  knew;  though 
that  was  not  much.  It  could  not  be  long,  however,  he 
said,  before  news  of  one  sort  or  another  came  to  them; 
for  King  Humayon  was,  so  they  said,  within  a  day's 
march  of  Kabul,  and  any  time  they  might  hear  the 
guns  begin.  Then  would  be  his  turn.  He  would  fight 
till  all  was  blue,  and  then  if  the  outsiders  won,  turn 
round  and  fight  for  them  as  hardily,  since  all  he  re- 
quired was  plenty  of  fighting  and  plenty  of  food  and 
wine. 

He  was  right  in  one  thing.  The  very  next  day 
about  noon,  a  sudden  pouf — bing-bing — thud,  told 
that  the  first  shot  had  been  fired.  And  after  that  there 
was  no  peace  and  little  safety.  Only  Foster-father  in 
his  dungeon  was  free  even  from  anxiety ;  for  fever  had 
seized  on  him  and  he  lay  unconscious.  And  in  his 
close  prison  room,  where  there  was  little  air  and  less 
light,  and  where  Roy  racked  his  brain  for  stories 
wherewith  to  while  away  the  leaden-footed  hours,  the 
little  Heir-to-Empire  lay  listless  also,  yet  not  ill. 
Only  weary,  weary. 

"I  want  Tumbu,"  he  would  say,  "I  want  to  run  a 
race  with  him.    I  want  to  be  out  of  doors." 

And  so  while  the  city  was  alive  with  armed  men, 

167 


THE  ADVEXTURES  OF  AKBAR 

when  there  were  assaults  and  repulses  and  sorties  and 
forlorn  hopes  going  on  day  after  day,  Roy  would  tell 
]Mirak  that  some  day  something  w^ould  happen.  Some 
day  the  door  would  open  and 

And  one  day  the  door  did  open.  And  a  tall  man 
stood  for  a  second,  half -blinded  by  the  darkness.  But 
the  next  he  strode  forward  and  caught  the  little  Heir- 
to-Emj^ire  to  his  heart,  murmuring,  ''My  son — my 
little  son!" 

It  was  King  Humayon;  for  Kumran,  after  plead- 
ing for  a  few  hours'  truce  to  allow  him  to  make 
submission,  had  taken  advantage  of  this  breathing 
time  to  make  his  escape  with  the  more  desperate  of  his 
followers.  Fear  had  overcome  him  once  more.  Hav- 
ing nothing  in  himself  on  which  he  could  rely,  he  could 
not  trust  to  the  generosity  of  his  brother. 

So,  after  more  than  two  and  a  half  years  of  separa- 
tion Akbar  found  his  father  again. 


168 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

THE  GARDEN  OF  GAMES 

And  now,  for  the  time  at  any  rate,  Prince  Akbar's 
adventures  were  over,  and  all  the  little  party  prepared 
to  enjoy  themselves.  Foster-father,  taken  out  of  his 
dungeon,  soon  recovered  consciousness,  and  the  news 
of  King  Humayon's  victory  and  the  Heir-to-Empire's 
safety,  being  the  best  tonic  in  the  world,  he  was  soon 
about  again. 

Head-nurse,  at  last  absolutely  restored  to  her 
proper  position  in  Court,  found,  however,  that  her 
young  charge  had  considerably  outgrown  the  nursery. 
To  begin  with,  his  father,  overjoyed  at  recovering  his 
son,  could  not  see  too  much  of  him,  and  took  him 
about  with  him  wherever  he  went. 

"Time  enough  for  his  education  to  begin  when  he  is 
four,"  said  Humayon,  when  Foster-father  pointed  out 
that  the  boy  was  old  beyond  his  years  and  that  if  he 
did  not  soon  begin  schooling  it  would  be  difficult  for 
him  by-and-bye. 

"Let  be — friend,  let  be!"  continued  the  fond  father; 
"let  us  have  a  while  to  amuse  ourselves,  now  the  trouble 
is  over!  I  tell  you  I  have  been  in  such  straits  these 
last  four  years  that  I  have  had  no  time  to  amuse  my- 
self. Now  I  mean  to  show  Kabul  that  life  isn't  so  bad 
after  all  I" 

169 


THE  ADVEXTURES  OF  AKBAR 

So  tall,  handsome,  good-natured,  with  a  vivid  love 
of  colour  and  beauty  and  a  light-heartedness  almost 
beyond  belief, — light-heartedness  which  had  carried 
him  through  dangers  that  might  have  proved  too  much 
for  one  less  gay — Humayon  set  to  work  to  lavish  his 
money  on  the  most  magnificent  entertainments  that 
ever  were  seen. 

So  long  as  winter  lasted  these  had  to  be  held  in  the 
Bala  Hissar,  where  a  sound  of  music  and  a  ripple  of 
laughter  was  to  be  heard  day  and  night;  but  as  spring 
began  once  more  to  carpet  the  barren  hills  with  mil- 
lions of  flowers,  Humayon's  amusements  went  further 
afield.  One  day  he  and  his  Court,  a  glittering  cohort 
of  merry  men,  flashing  with  diamonds,  and  prepared 
to  enjoy  everything,  would  ride  out  many  miles  to  see 
the  great  groves  of  Judas  trees  flushed  with  their  pink 
blossoms ;  ride  out  to  find  a  magnificent  camp  await- 
ing them,  a  magnificent  repast  prepared,  and  all  the 
best  singers  and  dancers  in  Kabul  ready  to  amuse 
them.  Then  the  next  day,  mayhap,  they  would  all  go 
a-hawking,  and  at  each  and  all  of  these  diversions 
Humayon's  little  son  was  part  of  his  father's  enjoy- 
ment, and  so  naturally,  became  more  and  more  of  a 
man  every  day. 

He  used  to  ride  on  Horse-chestnut,  and  Tumbu 
was  always  of  the  party,  getting  in  consequence  rather 

too  fat,  by  reason  of  the  rich  food  which  was  given 
him. 

170 


THE  GARDEN  OF  GAMES 

But  despite  all  this  fun  and  jollity  little  Prince 
Akbar  was  not  quite  satisfied. 

"You  took  my  mother  away  with  you  to  the  hills," 
he  would  say  to  his  father.  "Why  didn't  you  bring 
her  back  with  you?    I  want  to  see  her." 

Then  King  Humayon  would  laugh — for  he  was  al- 
ways merry — and  bid  his  little  son  be  patient.  His 
mother  would  come  with  the  spring.  At  present  she 
was  in  Persia,  but  so  soon  as  the  passes  were  open 
she  would  start  for  Kabul.  And  then  there  would  be 
fun!  Whereupon  little  Prince  Akbar  would  smile  a 
dignified  smile,  and  say,  of  course  there  would  be  fun! 

Now  out  of  this  arose  a  plan  which  came  into  King 
Humayon's  head,  as  so  many  other  plans  came,  with- 
out very  much  thought ;  for  he  was  full  of  kindly,  not 
over-wise  fancies.  And  this  one  was  that  little  Prince 
Akbar  should  choose  his  own  mother ! 

It  would  be  rather  a  hard  task  for  a  child  who  had 
not  seen  her  for  two  years  and  a  half,  and  who  was  but 
a  baby  of  less  than  eighteen  months  old  when  he  had 
parted  from  her!  But  Humayon  was  convinced  that 
his  son  would  remember ;  and  anyway,  even  if  he  did 
not,  no  harm  would  be  done  and  it  would  be  very 
amusing.  So  orders  were  given  for  a  huge  entertain- 
ment in  the  Arta  Gardens  just  outside  Kabul.  They 
were  the  most  beautiful  gardens,  not  close  cropped 
and  orderly  like  English  gardens,  but  with  wide,  bare, 
marble-paved  walks  and  squares,  big  marble-stepped 

171 


THE  ADVEXTURES  OF  AKBAR 

tanks  full  of  waterlilies,  all  set  in  tangles  of  wide- 
spread roses  and  jasmine  and  gardenia.  And  here 
Humayon's  fancy  set  up  a  IMystic  Palace  of  three 
Houses:  The  House  of  Pleasure;  The  House  of  For- 
tune, and  the  House  of  Power.  Xever  was  such  a 
beautiful  Palace.  By  day  it  shone  with  the  reflected 
light  of  thousands  and  thousands  of  looking-glasses, 
by  night  it  rose  outlined  in  every  detail  by  thousands 
and  thousands  of  little  lamps.  Every  marble  path  was 
spread  with  priceless  silken  carpets,  the  very  foun- 
tains were  scented  with  attar-of-rose.  All  the  mu- 
sicians and  dancers  and  acrobats  and  jugglers  of 
Kabul  were  commanded  to  be  there,  snow  came  from 
the  higher  hills  to  ice  the  drinks,  and  cooks  worked 
day  and  night  to  prepare  the  most  wonderful 
dishes. 

"That  is  what  I  call  a  King,"  remarked  the  Afghan 
sentry,  whom  Roy,  going  with  his  little  master  to  see 
the  preparations,  found  keeping  guard  at  the  gate. 
"None  of  your  skinflints  like  Kumran.  Aye!"  he  con- 
tinued, seeing  Roy's  look  of  surprise  and  distaste,  ''I 
have  done  what  I  said  I  would — fought  for  Kumran 
till  there  was  no  more  fighting  to  be  done.  And  now, 
like  His  Gracious  Majesty  King  Humayon,  I  am  en- 
joying myself.    I  want  no  more!    Ha!  Ha!" 

Little  Prince  Akbar,  who  was  standing  by,  turned 
on  him  sharply.  "Thou  art  a  slave,  fellow,  and  know 
nothing  of  Kingship.  Roy  and  I  do.  In  his  country 
172 


THE  GARDEN  OF  GAMES 

Kings  ride  and  shoot  and  play  polo,  and — and  do 
things.    Besides,"  he  added,  "I  want  my  mother." 

"Your  Highness  will  have  to  choose  her  then,  so  I 
hear,"  began  the  sentry  almost  rudely,  and  Roy 
started  to  rebuke  him,  but  Prince  Akbar  was  first. 

"Of  course  I  shall  choose  my  own  mother,  slave. 
She  is  quite  different,  you  know,  from  any  one  else  in 
the  world.    Isn't  she,  Roy?" 

The  Rajput  lad  passed  his  hand  over  his  forehead. 
*'Mine  was.  Most  Noble!  I  should  know  her  again 
if  I  ever  saw  her,  but  I  never  shall." 

"Say  not  that,  boy,"  said  the  sentry,  who,  despite  his 
roughness,  had  a  kind  heart  and  was  touched  by  the 
sorrow  in  Roy's  voice.  "I  have  an  old  comrade  down 
Suryamer  way  and  I  will  speak  to  him  of  thee  and 
see  what  he  says ;  then  who  knows  but " 

Little  Akbar  interrupted  him  gravely.  "It  is  as 
God  chooses.  Roy  always  says  that.  Don't  you, 
Roy?" 

"By  my  word!"  said  the  sentry,  saluting,  "y^^  ^^^  ^ 
proper  pair  of  Kings." 

There  were  to  be  three  days  festival.  On  the  first, 
that  of  Pleasure,  everybody  was  to  be  dressed  in 
white,  on  the  second  day  of  Power  all  were  to  be  in 
scarlet,  and  on  the  third,  the  day  of  Fortune,  the  day 
on  which  little  Prince  Akbar  was  to  choose  his  mother, 
every  one  was  to  wear  green.  Head-nurse  and  Fos- 
ter-mother spent  all  their  time  in  devising  wonderful 

173 


THE  ADVEXTURES  OF  AKBAR 

new  designs  for  their  darling's  dresses,  and  Humayon 
himself  added  many  little  fanciful  touches,  for  he  had 
a  most  wonderful  imagination,  and  this  festival,  which 
was  to  welcome  his  wife  to  Kabul  and  give  her  back 
her  httle  son,  occupied  all  his  thoughts. 

The  queen  arrived  on  the  first  day,  but,  according  to 
custom,  in  a  closed  litter,  and  she  went  straight  to  the 
secluded  balcony  arranged  for  the  royal  ladies,  whence 
she  could  see  without  being  seen.  So  she  had  the  ad- 
vantage of  her  little  son,  who,  in  a  magnificent  cos- 
tume of  white  and  silver,  looked  such  a  darhng  that 
Queen  Humeeda  longed  to  hug  him. 

"Has  my  Ammsi- jdn  come?"  whispered  the  httle 
Prince  to  his  father,  "is  she  up  there  behind  the  lat- 
tice of  roses?" 

"Yea  I  she  is  there  sure  enough,  little  rogue," 
laughed  Humayon.  "So  give  a  good  look  right 
through  the  flowers." 

"No!"  said  little  Akbar,  "I've  got  to  shut  my  eyes; 
then  I  can  see  her  with  my  other  eyes." 

But  his  father  was  too  busy  directing  the  festival 
to  hear  what  he  said. 

So  the  first  day  passed  on  and  everybody  thought  it 
was  the  very  finest  entertainment  that  ever  was  seen. 
But  the  second  day  surpassed  it.  The  crowds,  all  in 
scarlet,  filling  the  gardens,  looked  like  bright  roses 
amid  the  green  leaves,  and  the  blare  of  golden  trum- 
pets, the  scattering  of  golden  coins  as  largesse,  the 
174 


THE  GARDEN  OF  GAMES 

stately  processions  of  soldiers  made  it,  indeed,  a  mar- 
vellous show  of  power ;  and  this  was  increased  by  the 
arrival  of  ambassadors  from  the  Shah  of  Persia,  who 
had  so  much  helped  King  Humayon.  They  brought 
magnificent  presents  and  hearty  congratulations  on 
success.  So,  nothing  was  lacking;  and  at  night,  lit 
up  by  red  fires,  the  scene  was  one  never  to  be  for- 
gotten. But  with  the  dawn  everything  changed!  A 
thousand  servants  set  to  work,  and  in  one  short  half 
hour  the  garden  showed  green.  Green  carpets,  green 
trees,  green  water  falling  from  the  fountains  like 
liquid  emeralds.  And  by-and-bye  came  green  crowds, 
every  shade  of  green  mixing  and  mingling  in  harmony. 
And  inside  the  arched  pavilion  of  the  house  of  Good 
Fortune  were  green  rustlings  of  silk,  green  shimmer- 
ings  of  satin  as  three  hundred  ladies  of  the  Court,  all 
veiled  with  green  veils,  took  their  seats  in  a  semi- 
circle. Three  hundred  ladies  in  green  all  dressed 
alike!  Which  was  Queen  Humeeda?  That,  it  was 
the  part  of  a  child  of  four  to  tell,  a  child  who  had  not 
seen  his  mother  for  two  and  a  half  years! 

The  crowd  outside,  pale  green,  sage  green,  emerald 
green,  leaf  green,  were  hushed  to  silence,  waiting ;  but 
from  every  thicket  of  rose  and  jasmine  a  chorus  of 
singing  birds,  deftly  concealed  in  cages  behind  the 
leaves,  filled  the  air  as  Humayon  and  his  little  son 
advanced  to  take  their  places.  The  king  was  dressed 
in  green  also,  a  fine  figure  in  royal  robes  embroidered 

175 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

with  a  thousand  allegorical  designs.    He  took  his  seat 
on  a  golden  throne. 

And  little  Prince  Akhar! 

He  was  the  one  spot  of  colour !  He  was  the  flower 
of  the  whole  garden !  Dressed  in  rose  satin  of  various 
shades,  he  looked  indeed  what  Head-nurse  had  called 
him  fondly,  thus  adding  to  her  string  of  titles,  "The 
Rose  of  the  World." 

And  now  the  great  moment  approaches !  The  little 
fellow  takes  his  stand  fearlessly  below  his  father ;  be- 
fore him  the  semicircle  of  green  veiled  ladies;  a  hun- 
dred in  the  first  row,  a  hundred  in  the  second  row,  a 
himdred  in  the  third  row. 

But  little  Akbar's  eyes  as  he  stands  there  do  not 
wander  from  row  to  row.  To  tell  the  truth,  his  eyes 
are  not  open  at  all !  He  has  them  fast  closed ;  for  so, 
he  knows,  he  can  see  his  mother. 

"Ladies!  Unveil!"  comes  the  king's  voice.  It  sounds 
a  little  anxious. 

There  is  a  rustling  of  silks  and  satins,  a  faint  swish- 
ing of  gauze  and  muslins,  and  three  hundred  faces 
flash  out,  like  flowers  against  leaves,  from  their  green 
draperies. 

Which  is  Queen  Humeeda's? 

For  an  instant  the  child  stands  silent,  his  lips 
trembling,  his  face  flushing.  Then  his  eyes  open  and 
he  sees  something. 

What  is  it? 
176 


THE  GARDEN  OF  GAMES 

Is  one  face  less  smiling  than  another? 

Where  is  it?  In  the  first  row,  or  the  second  row, 
or  the  third  row? 

What  matter?    There  is  a  glad  cry  of 

''Amma-jan!  My  AmmsL-jan,  There  you  are!" 
And  a  little  flying  figure  in  rose-coloured  satin  has 
dashed  across  the  floor  to  fling  itself  into  the  arms 
of — Queen  Humeeda. 

Little  Akbar  has  found  his  own  darlingest  mother, 
and  there  is  not  a  dry  eye  in  the  whole  assemblage. 


177 


CHAPTER  XIX 

BETWIXT  CUP  AND  LIP 

Now  it  may  indeed  seem  that  all  our  little  Heir-to- 
Empire's  troubles  were  over;  but  there  is  still  some- 
what to  tell  of  our  young  hero.  To  begin  with,  Queen 
Humeeda  was  a  wise  woman,  and  she  saw  that  it  was 
not  good  for  the  little  lad  to  be  always  at  play.  She 
knew  that  as  a  King's  son  in  the  East,  he  would  have 
small  time  after  he  was  ten  for  schooling,  and  as  he 
was  now  close  on  four  that  did  not  leave  many  years 
for  teaching. 

So  a  tutor  was  found  for  him;  but  it  is  to  be  feared 
that  he  was  by  no  means  an  industrious  scholar.  In- 
deed, we  hear  of  such  dreadful  things  as  playing 
truant,  so  that  when  a  day  was  fixed  for  an  examina- 
tion by  learned  men  as  to  how  the  Heir-to-Empire 
was  getting  on  with  his  studies,  "at  the  master  moment 
it  was  found  that  the  scholar,  having  attired  himself 
for  sport,  had  disappeared!"  Then  his  first  tutor  was 
dismissed  because  he  encouraged  his  pupil  in  pigeon 
flying,  and  we  read  of  his  applying  his  thoughts  more 
to  dog-fancying  and  Arab  horses  than  to  his  books. 
Still  he  did  learn  one  thing,  and  a  good  thing,  too. 

The  day  he  was  four  years  and  four  days  old  he  was 
taught,  as  all  little  Mohammedans  are  taught,  to  un- 
derstand what  he  was,  what  the  world  about  him  was, 
178 


BETWIXT  CUP  AND  LIP 

and  to  recognisefthat  neither  he  himself,  nor  the  world 
he  lived  in  were  the  Beginning  and  the  End  of  all 
things.  It  was  a  stately  ceremonial,  not  beautiful, 
and  lavish,  and  expensive  like  the  Festival  of  the 
Mystic  Palace,  but  one  which  left  its  mark  for  always 
on  the  mind  of  the  child. 

Despite  his  dislike  to  books  as  the  only  way  of  learn- 
ing to  be  wise,  he  never  forgot  the  day  in  the  Great 
Mosque,  when,  before  all  his  relations,  he  had  to  stand 
up  dressed  in  his  simple  every  day  clothes  and  take 
the  Holy  Book  from  the  hands  of  the  high  priest. 
And  he  never  forgot  the  high  priest's  words: 

*'Read  in  the  Name  of  Him  who  hath  made  all 
things  in  Heaven  and  earth,  and  Who  hath  given  men 
power  to  be  wise." 

"Bismillah! — IrruJiman-nirrulieem!"  he  had  an- 
swered as  in  dut}^  bound,  which  means,  *' Thanks  be  to 
Him  who  is  merciful  in  this  world  and  merciful  in  the 
next  world." 

In  this  way  young  Prince  Akbar  learned  that  every 
man  has  power  to  be  wise,  and  that  the  great  mystery 
of  birth  and  death  is  a  merciful  mystery. 

Thus  the  summer  passed  and  in  early  autumn  King 
Humayon,  who  had  now  wasted  nearly  a  whole  year 
in  amusement,  found  it  necessary  to  quell  rebellion  in 
a  neighbouring  province. 

So  the  governorship  of  Kabul  was  made  over  to  a 
trusted  noble  of  the  Court,  one  Shurruf  Khan  by 

179 


THE  ADVEXTURES  OF  AKBAR 

name,  who  was  made  as  it  were  Regent  for  little 
Prince  Akbar,  who  was  left  with  his  attendants  in 
regal  state  at  the  palace  in  the  Bala  Hissar,  w^hile 
Queen  Ilumeeda  went  back  to  India,  taking  Bija  with 
her,  on  a  visit  to  her  mother's  relations. 

Roy,  whose  story  had  become  known  in  the  Court, 
was  now  made  equerry  to  the  young  prince,  and  very 
handsome  he  looked  in  his  chain  armour,  with  the 
noonday  sun  all  rayed  and  shiny  in  gold  on  his  breast, 
in  token  that  he  claimed  to  be  a  Sun-hero.  As,  in- 
deed, seemed  likely,  since  the  Afghan  sentry's  old 
Suryamer  friend  had  a  tale  about  a  young  Raj  ah  who 
had  been  kidnapped  and,  it  was  supposed,  left  in  the 
desert  to  die.  But  whether  Roy  was  the  young  Rajah 
or  not,  who  could  tell  ?  They  might  send  the  story  to 
Suryamer  and  see  what  befell.  Meanwhile  Roy  was 
happy,  and  little  Akbar  and  he  became  more  and  more 
like  elder  and  j^ounger  brother.  How  much  in  after 
years  the  prince  owed  to  the  companionship  of  this 
friend  of  his  childhood  it  is  impossible  to  say.  Per- 
haps it  accounts  for  the  marvellous  way  in  which  the 
Great  Emperor  Akbar  ruled  his  Hindoo  subjects. 

Humayon  had  expected  to  return  in  a  month's  time, 
but  luck  was  against  him.  A  King  cannot  waste  a 
whole  year  in  amusement  and  so  let  wicked  men  have 
time  to  hatch  plots  without  suffering  for  it.  And 
Humayon  did  suffer.  He  had  to  march  and  counter- 
march with  winter  coming  on  apace,  until  he  was 
180 


BETWIXT  CUP  AND  LIP 

struck  down  by  sudden  illness.  At  first  the  news 
caused  no  alarm,  for  he  was  known  to  be  strong  and 
healthy;  but  there  came  a  day  when  folk  began  to 
whisper  that  the  King  w^as  said  to  be  lying  uncon- 
scious, that  death  might  come  any  moment. 

The  news  stirred  the  whole  city  of  Kabul  to  its 
depths.  It  had  but  lately  passed  into  the  hands  of 
Humayon.  There  were  not  wanting  many  who  pre- 
ferred Kumran,  and  Kumran  was  in  exile  waiting  an 
opportunity. 

And  that  came  with  the  suddenness  of  a  summer 
storm.  One  night  the  gates  of  the  town  were  closed 
by  the  Regent  Shurruf  Khan  in  Humayon's  name; 
the  next  dawn  saw  the  Iron  Entry,  after  a  brief 
scuffle,  opened  in  the  name  of  Kumran!  There  was  a 
rush  of  armed  men  through  the  streets  of  the  town, 
a  murder  or  two  of  loyal  men  in  high  authority.  And 
then? 

Up  at  the  Bala  Hissar,  Foster-father  roused  from 
his  sleep,  went  in  haste  to  the  Regent,  expecting  to 
hear  bugles,  to  find  troops  gatherings  for  defence; 
but  the  gates  of  the  Fort  were  open ! 

Shurruf  Khan  was  traitor!  He  had  gone  over  to 
the  enemy.  Ere  an  hour  was  over  Kumran,  scowling, 
walked  up  and  down  the  royal  apartments,  a  King 
once  more ;  but  biting  his  hps  and  frowning  over  some- 
thing that  stood  between  him  and  perfect  revenge! 

Foster-father,  good  old  fool,  was  back  in  his  dun- 

181 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

geon  in  the  well,  where  this  time  he  would  rot.  The 
women,  as  a  change,  were  walled  up  in  a  tiny  room, 
where,  bread  and  water  being  thrust  in  to  them, 
they  might  eat  and  live,  or  starve  and  die  as  they 
chose. 

But  the  Heir-to-Empire?  What  of  him?  Ah!  fool 
that  he  had  been  to  make  that  promise  to  a  crafty  old 
woman  who  had  died  in  order  to  spite  him.  Kumran's 
anger  rose  fierce;  he  would  have  given  anything  to 
break  his  oath ;  but  he  could  not.  He  was  not  strong 
enough;  even  his  wickedness  was  not  real. 

But,  short  of  death,  the  young  heir  should  have  no 
shelter.  Kumran  flung  him  into  a  miserable  cell  close 
to  the  Iron  Gate  and  thought  no  more  of  him.  And 
now,  but  for  faithful  Roy,  Akbar  would  indeed  have 
been  in  sorry  plight.  They  had  barely  enough  to  eat, 
but  Roy  stinted  himself,  eating  nothing  but  the  hard 
half-burned  crusts  of  the  coarse  hearth-cakes  and 
excusing  himself  from  even  touching  the  miserable 
mess  of  pease-porridge  on  the  ground  that  he  did  not 
hke  it.  So  he  grew  thin  and  his  brown  deer-eyes  had 
a  startled  look.  Indeed,  he  hardly  slept  at  all,  but 
watched  and  dozed  beside  his  little  master  all  night 
long. 

Yet  he  was  always  cheerful.  Always  ready  with 
stories  and  songs.  When  he  could  not  remember  any 
new-old  ones,  he  took  to  inventing  tales  of  people  who 
were  always  in  dangers  and  difficulties,  but  w^ho  took 
182 


BETWIXT  CUP  AND  LIP 

no  notice  of  them,  who  went  on  their  way  trusting  in 
the  Truth. 

"For!  see  you!"  he  would  finish  gravely, 

"He  who  has  Truth 
Need  fear  no  ruth." 

So,  ever  and  always  his  hero  came  out  of  his  trials 
scathless. 

And,  by  degrees,  this  faith  in  final  good  grew  deep 
into  both  the  boys'  hearts,  and  showed  in  their  very 
faces. 

"By  my  word!"  said  the  Afghan  sentry,  whom 
chance  one  day  sent  to  guard  them.  "Ye  be  a  precious 
pair  of  Kings!" 

He  could  admire  them,  though  he  did  not  seem  in 
the  least  ashamed  of  having  yet  once  more  turned  his 
coat ;  for  he  was  again  on  Kumran's  side. 

How  time  passed  none  of  the  prisoners  cared  to 
count.  But  one  day  the  sudden  roar  of  a  great  gun 
told  them  that  the  city  was  once  more  besieged.  In 
truth,  Humayon  hearing,  while  still  on  his  bed  of  sick- 
ness, the  fatal  news  of  Shurruf  Khan's  treachery,  had 
strained  every  nerve,  ill  as  he  was,  to  come  to  the  res- 
cue of  his  little  son.  It  was  midwinter,  the  passes 
were  blocked  with  snow,  he  and  his  troops  had  to  meet 
endless  hardships ;  but  at  last  they  were  before  Kabul 
once  more.    Camped  on  the  Akaban  hill,  opposite  the 

183 


THE  ADVEXTURES  OF  AKBAR 

Iron  Gate,  the  artillery  were  brought  into  position, 
the  first  shot  fired. 

It  would  take  too  long  to  follow  all  the  varied  inci- 
dents of  the  siege.  But  one  thing  was  constant.  Xight 
after  night  recruits  from  inside  the  town  managed  to 
scale  the  walls  and  join  King  Humayon's  forces. 
They  were  getting  tired  of  Kumran,  who,  unable  to 
satisfy  his  cruelty  on  the  little  Heir-to-Empire,  vented 
it  on  all  and  sundry.  And  day  by  day  as  the  numbei; 
of  the  besieged  dwindled,  bit  after  bit  of  the  town  fell 
into  the  besiegers'  hands,  until  at  last  only  the  Bala 
Hissar  remained.  But  the  Bala  Hissar  is  a  town  in 
itself,  and  many  a  time  has  it  withstood  a  siege  suc- 
cessfully. 

Xow,  however,  it  was  near  to  the  death.  There 
could  be  no  more  talk  or  thought  of  escape.  Kumran, 
ever  half-hearted,  tried  it  one  night  and  failed,  losing 
many  followers  in  the  attempt. 

After  that  his  face  hardened.  He  went  about 
dreaming  of  revenge — revenge  on  Humayon,  even 
revenge  on  Dearest-Lady,  who  had  tied  his  hands. 

''Till  I  return  r 

Xo!  Dead  folks  can  never  return  to  the  worldly. 
Even  their  memory  comes  seldom,  save  to  the  pure  in 
heart. 

And  one  night  he  hit  on  a  plan.  The  fort  was 
almost  at  its  last  gasp.  All  day  Sumbul  Khan, 
Humayon's  famous  artillery  general,  had  been  pound- 
184 


BETWIXT  CUP  AND  LIP 

ing  away  at  the  Iron  Gate  with  deadly  aim.    A  few 
more  well-sent  shots  would  leave  the  bastion  crum- 

bhng,  and  then 

Then  would  come  the  assault  through  the  breach, 
and  Kumran  knew  he  could  not  face  it.  His  force  was 
too  small. 

So  about  midnight  the  door  of  Akbar's  prison  room 
was  opened  and  Kumran  with  a  few  armed  men  stood 
within. 

Roy,  startled  from  a  doze,  was  on  his  feet  in  a 
second. 

"What  want  ye?"  he  challenged  fiercely. 
"Let  the  Hindoo  fool  alone,"  said  Kumran  to  those 
who  would  have  seized  on  the  Rajput  lad.    "All  we 
want  is  the  child.     Take  him,  slaves,  and  be  quick 
about  it." 

Ere  the  words  were  out  of  his  mouth  a  stalwart  man 
bent  to  hft  the  sleeping  Heir-to-Empire.  Roy's  sword 
flashed  the  same  second,  but,  held  back  by  sneering 
men,  he  was  helpless. 

"What  want  ye  with  him?  I  say,  what  want  ye  with 
him?"  panted  the  poor  lad  as  he  struggled  madly. 

Kumran  paused  at  the  door  to  turn  an  icy  cold  look 
of  cruelty  upon  him.  "What!  Thou  wouldst  know? 
Then  thou  shalt  have  it,  young  idolater.  It  may  cool 
thy  hot  blood.  I  will  dress  him  in  dust  colour  like  the 
walls  of  Kabul  and  hang  him  over  the  battlement  at 
dawn  as  a  mark  for  my  brother's  artillery.    Then  we 

185 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

shall  see  the  breach  in  my  citadel  made!  Then  we 
shall  see  my  revenge — but  it  will  not  be  of  my  making ! 
His  father  shall  kill  him." 

So  with  a  mirthless  laugh  he  followed  his  men,  who 
were  bearing  away  the  Heir-to-Empire,  still  but  half 
awake. 

Roy  stood  for  one  second  like  a  stone,  too  horror 
stricken  for  full  belief;  but  the  echoing  laugh  con- 
vinced him;  with  a  wild  cry  he  rushed  to  the  narrow 
window  and  shook  fruitlessly  at  its  iron  bars  hke  a 
wild  animal  when  it  is  newly  caged.  But  they  were 
immovable. 

Yet  something  must  be  done — something — some- 
thing  

The  thought  of  dawn  was  too  dreadful.  The  beauti- 
ful, calm,  peaceful  April  dawn,  shadowy  grey!  Just 
light  enough  to  see  the  outline  of  the  Bala  Hissar,  just 
light  enough  to  begin  upon  the  breach  once  more; 
but  too  dark  to  see  what  was  in  the  line  of  fire. 

Yes!  Something  must  be  done,  and  done  swiftly. 
Not  four  hours  left  before  the  eastern  hills  would  be- 
gin to  show  dark  against  the  coming  of  day. 


186 


CHAPTER  XX 

ESCAPED 

Once  more  Roy  felt  helpless  and  hopeless  before  the 
great  task  which  seemed  to  be  laid  upon  him.  He 
alone  out  of  all  the  little  Heir-to-Empire's  guardians 
knew  the  dire  danger  he  was  in.  Yet  how  could  he,  a 
poor,  prisoned  Raj  put  lad,  save  the  young  prince  ? 

Still  he  had  to  be  saved ;  he  must  be  saved ;  and  there 
was  no  time  to  be  lost.  At  dawn  the  firing  would  re- 
commence from  the  Arkaban  hill;  at  dawn  the  help- 
less child  would  be  in  the  half -breached  bastion  ex- 
posed to  that  fire! 

Yes !  He,  Roy,  must  get  out  somehow.  If  he  could 
only  loosen  one  bar  of  the  window  so  that  he  could 
squeeze  through,  then  he  might  be  able  to  let  himself 
down  by  a  rope  twined  out  of  his  long  waist-cloth  and 
turban!  Thus  he  might  be  able  to  get  out  of  the  fort! 
Pie  might  be  able  to  gain  the  camp  on  the  Arkaban 
hill  before  dawn!  So  he  might  be  able  to  warn  the 
guns  not  to  fire  on  the  bastion;  might  be  able  to  tell 
them  that  the  Heir-to-Empire  hung  there! 

What  a  number  of  "might  be  ables";  but  would  he 
be  able,  even  for  the  first  task? 

He  took  up  his  sword  and  began  forthwith  on  the 
iron  bar;  but  the  mortar  was  hard,  he  could  scarcely 
make  a  mark  upon  it.    Still,  it  must  be  done.    In  order 

187 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

to  free  his  arms  better  for  the  work  he  took  off  all 
his  clothes  save  his  flimsy,  sleeveless  waistcoat  and  the 
loin-cloth  that  was  girt  about  him,  and  buckled  down 
steadily.  But  when  more  than  an  hour  had  passed 
the  bar  seemed  as  firm  as  ever.  As  he  crouched  down 
on  the  window  sill  he  could  see  through  it  to  the  flat  roof 
of  the  neighboring  palaces ;  for  it  was  a  bright  moon- 
light night  still,  though  the  moon  must  be  nigh  to  her 
setting.  So  the  thought  crossed  his  mind  that  if  he 
could  only  squeeze  through  he  might  be  able  to  reach 
one  of  those  roofs ;  since,  if  he  remembered  aright,  a 
wide  cornice  ran  just  below.  He  paused  for  a  second 
in  his  labour  to  see  if  this  was  so,  craning  his  head 
through  the  crossbars.  Yes,  the  cornice  was  there! 
Scarcely  ^^nde  enough  for  a  cat  to  walk,  but  if  he  got 
through  in  time  he  would  risk  it.    He  must  risk  it ! 

But  would  he  get  through  in  time?  He  set  to  work 
again  feverishly  until  suddenly  a  familiar  sound 
reached  his  ear  from  outside;  the  sound  of  a  cat 
purring ! 

Could  it  be  Down?  She  had  not  found  them  out 
in  their  new  prison,  but  if  she  had  happened  to  be 
on  the  roof  when  he  looked  out  of  the  window  she 
might  have  seen  him  or  smelled  him — yes !  There  was 
a  white  cat  on  the  cornice,  and  the  next  moment  Down 
was  on  the  sill,  arching  her  back  and  purring  away 
contentedly. 

So  she  had  found  them  at  last — no!  not  them,  for 
188 


ESCAPED 

the  Heir-to-Empire  was  not  there — he  had  been  stolen 
away!  Roy  could  have  leaned  his  head  on  Down's 
soft  fur  and  cried  his  heart  out  in  despair  at  his  own 
helplessness,  but  he  set  his  teeth  instead  and  dug 
harder  with  the  sword  point. 

Would  the  bar  never  loosen?  So  the  minutes  passed 
without  a  sound  save  the  grating  of  the  eager  sword 
and  the  soft,  soothing  purr  of  the  cat  as  she  sat  beside 
him  watching  him  indifferently.  Then  suddenly  the 
latter  ceased  and  Down  leaped  swiftly  to  the  floor  of 
the  cell.  Doubtless  she  heard  something.  Cats  hear 
so  many  things  humans  do  not  hear,  and  they  seem  to 
know  so  many  things  humans  do  not  know,  so  per- 
haps she  heard  a  mouse  far  down  the  arched  passage, 
or  even  in  the  next  cell.  Anyhow  she  marched  straight 
to  the  door  and  stood  by  it,  miaowing  to  be  let  out. 
Ah!  if  he  only  could  let  her  out!  If  the  door  were 
only  open,  thought  poor  Roy,  as  he  worked  away  at 
the  still  immovable  bar. 

"No !  Down,  no !  I  can't,"  he  murmured  bitterly  as 
the  cat  miaowed  more  and  more  insistently. 

But  still  the  miaowing  went  on.  Down  became  quite 
plaintive,  then  ill-used;  finally  she  leaped  onto  Roy's 
shoulder,  licked  his  ear  with  her  rough  red  tongue  as 
if  to  coax  him,  and  was  back  again  at  the  door  asking 
to  be  let  out. 

Why  was  she  so  set  on  it  ?  Roy  turned  to  look  at  her 
half  stupidly  and  for  a  moment  forgot  his  task ;  forgot 

189 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

how  rapidly  time  was  passing;  forgot  everything  save 
that  Down  was  asking  to  be  let  out.  So  wearily  he 
passed  to  the  door,  and  scarcely  conscious  of  what  he 
was  doing,  laid  his  hand  on  the  latch. 

"I  can't,  Down,"  he  said;  "I  can't  open — "  He 
broke  off  hurriedly. 

For  the  latch  yielded,  the  door  opened!! 

It  could  never  have  been  locked!! 

Had  they  forgotten,  or,  having  secured  the  Heir-to- 
Empire,  had  they  not  cared  what  became  of  the  hench- 
man? The  latter,  most  likely,  for  there  was  no  sentry 
in  the  arched  passage  along  which  Down  had  already 
disappeared. 

Another  second  and  Roy,  sword  in  hand,  had  dis- 
appeared down  it  also,  remembering  as  he  ran  a  cer- 
tain little  fretted  marble  balcony  which  gave  on  the 
gardens  below.  For  Roy,  of  course,  knew  every  turn 
of  the  Bala  Hissar.  This  balcony  opened  onto  an 
unused  gallery  room.  To  gain  this,  bolt  the  heavy 
door  behind  him,  and  so,  secure  from  interruption,  set 
to  work  twining  a  rope  from  strips  torn  from  his  tur- 
ban and  waistband  did  not  take  long;  but  it  was  a 
good  twenty  minutes  before  he  had  knotted  all  fast; 
though  while  he  worked  he  thought  of  nothing  else; 
of  nothing  but  somehow  reaching  the  garden.  Once 
there  he  would  face  the  next  difficulty.  One  was 
enough  at  a  time.  And  then,  when  he  had  made  the 
rope  fast  to  one  of  the  marble  pillars  and  slid  down  it, 
190 


ESCAPED 

it  proved  too  short.  He  swung  with  his  feet  just 
touching  the  topmost  branch  of  a  blossoming  peach 
tree.  There  was  nothing  for  it  but  to  let  go,  snatch 
at  the  branches  as  he  fell  and  trust  to  chance  for  safety. 
He  found  it ;  and  dropped  to  the  ground  amid  a  per- 
fect shower  of  shed  peach  petals. 

So  he  stood  for  an  instant  to  consider  what  must 
come  next.  A  gate!  Aye!  but  which?  The  farthest 
from  the  point  of  attack  would  be  the  best,  as  there 
would  be  less  vigilance  there.  That  meant  the  Delhi 
gate,  and  meant  also  a  long  round;  yet  he  must  be 
quick,  for  already  there  was  a  faint  lightening  of  the 
eastern  sky.  But  the  moon  had  set  and  the  shadows, 
always  darker  in  the  hour  before  dawn,  lay  upon  all 
things. 

And  luckily  he  knew  every  turn  of  the  Bala  Hissar 
garden,  knew  every  point  where  danger  might  be 
expected.  So  he  began  to  make  his  way  carefully. 
He  dodged  more  than  one  sentry  by  creeping  on 
through  the  bushes  while  the  man  passed  away  from 
him,  and  crouched  among  them,  still  as  a  mouse,  while 
the  measured  march  came  toward  him.  And  once  he 
had  to  run  for  bare  life  from  a  shower  of  arrows  which 
a  company  of  soldiers  sent  into  the  darkness  after  a 
suspicious  rustling  in  the  bushes.  But  mostly  the  men 
on  duty  had  too  much  to  think  of  outside  the  walls  to 
trouble  themselves  much  about  the  things  inside  them. 

So  with  doublings  and  turnings  he  came  at  last  on 

191 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

the  Delhi  gate,  a  small,  round,  flat-roofed  building 
pierced  by  a  high  archway.  It  was  too  dark  for  him 
to  see  its  outline,  but  he  knew  it  well,  and  paused 
against  the  outside  wall  to  consider  what  he  had  to  do 
next.  The  place  seemed  almost  deserted,  but  a  glim- 
mer of  light  from  the  archway  and  the  even  tramp  of  a 
sentry's  footstep  told  it  was  not  all  unguarded. 

What  was  he  to  do?  It  would  be  useless  for  him 
to  try  and  steal  past  the  sentry,  as  the  gate  beyond 
must  be  locked,  or  at  any  rate  bolted  and  barred.  He 
must  either,  therefore,  try  and  overpower  the  man  or 
else  try  to  gain  the  flat  roof  by  the  stairs — of  which 
he  knew  the  position — and,  trusting  to  find  a  rope  or 
something  of  the  sort  in  the  upper  room  of  the  gate,  let 
himself  down  into  the  ditch  outside. 

Now,  Roy  was  a  well-grown  lad  of  nigh  fifteen,  tall 
for  his  age,  and  with  his  light,  youthful  sinews  of  iron 
might  well  be  a  match  for  many  a  man,  especially  as  his 
purpose  was  like  steel,  and  that  is  ever  half  the  battle. 
But  there  was  the  chance  of  other  soldiers  being  within 
call,  and  that  might  mean  failure.  Now,  that  must 
not  be.    Roy  had  to  succeed — he  must ! 

Therefore  the  roof  was  the  wiser,  safer  plan;  he 
must  make  for  the  stairs,  trusting  to  escape  notice  when 
the  sentry's  back  was  turned.    Till  then — silence! 

But  even  as  he  settled  this  in  his  mind  Fate  was 
against  him.  As  he  crouched  in  the  darkness  some- 
thing cold  suddenly  touched  his  face,  and  the  next 
192 


ESCAPED 

moment  a  clamom'  of  excited  yappings  and  joyful 
barks  arose,  as  something  warm  and  furry  and  cold 
and  slobbery  flung  itself  all  over  him. 

Tumbu!  It  could  be  nothing  but  blundering, 
bumbling  Tumbu !  He  made  one  useless  effort  to  still 
the  dog,  then  rose  to  his  feet  feeling  himself  discov- 
ered, prepared  to  run  for  it.  But  it  w^as  too  late.  A 
sentry,  lantern  in  hand,  roused  by  the  commotion, 
barred  the  v^^ay.  All  seemed  lost,  but  a  ray  of  hope 
shone  when  the  familiar  voice  of  the  Afghan  sentry, 
the  unrepentant  turncoat,  was  heard  as  the  lantern 
waved  in  Roy's  very  face. 

"By  my  word,  one  of  the  Kings!  How  come  you 
hither  at  this  time  o'  night,  friend?" 

The  voice  was  a  little  thick,  as  if  the  owner,  finding 
the  quiet  of  the  Delhi  Gate  wearisome,  had  sought 
amusement  in  a  skin  of  wine. 

Roy  gave  a  gasp — he  was  too  confused  for  thought. 
"The  dog—"  he  began. 

"Aye !  The  dog  that  was  yours  and  is  mine,"  jeered 
the  sentry.  "So  he  nosed  you  out,  did  he?  Knows  his 
duty— good  dog,  Tumbu!  Knows  his  master  now! 
Knows  who  saved  him  from  starvation  when  he  was 
lurking  about  in  the  gutter.    Eh!  you  brute!" 

He  lunged  a  kick  at  Tumbu,  who  retreated  a  step, 
looking  from  the  new  to  the  old  master,  feeling,  in 
truth,  a  trifle  confused.  For  the  Afghan  sentry  had 
certainly  found  him  homeless,  friendless,  and  the  dog 

193 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

had  stuck  by  him,  feeling  that  here  at  least  was  some- 
thing vaguely  connected  with  the  past  life.  But  now 
he  stood  doubtful,  expectant,  his  little  ears  pricked,  his 
small  eyes  watchful. 

"Well,"  continued  the  sentry  with  a  half-drunken 
laugh,  *'dog  or  no  dog,  you've  no  business  here,  so 
come  along  with  me,  my  King." 

He  reached  out  a  heavy  hand,  and  Roy  shrunk  from 
it.  As  he  did  so  there  came  a  sound  which  sent  the 
blood  to  Roy's  heart  with  a  spasm  of  instant  hope,  of 
possible  escape.  It  was  Tumbu's  low  growl  as  he 
realised  that  some  one  wanted  to  touch  his  old  master 
and  that  his  old  master  did  not  want  to  be  touched. 

"At  him,  Tumbu !  At  him,  good  dog !"  The  words 
came  to  Roy  in  a  flash,  and  like  a  flash  the  great, 
powerful  dog  leaped  forward,  his  fur  a-bristle,  his 
white  teeth  gleaming,  and  the  next  instant,  taken  by 
the  suddenness  of  the  attack,  the  sentry  lay  on  his 
back  half  stunned  by  the  fall,  while  Tumbu,  on  the 
top  of  him,  checked  even  a  cry  by  a  clutch  at  his  throat. 
A  soft  clutch  so  far ;  but  one  that  would  tear  through 
flesh  if  needful. 

Roy  was  on  his  knees  beside  the  fallen  man. 

"Hist!  not  a  sound  or  the  dog  shall  kill  you.  He 
can.  Give  me  the  keys.  I  want  to  get  out  of  the  gate ! 
The  keys,  do  you  hear?" 

The  sentry  tried  to  struggle,  but  warned  by  the 
weight  of  the  dog  on  his  breast  and  those  sharp  teeth 
194 


ESCAPED 

ready  to  close  upon  his  throat,  murmured  hoarsely, 
*'It  is  only  barred,  but  the  bolts  are  difficult.  If  you 
will  let  me  get  up  and  call  off  your  dog " 

But  Roy  took  no  heed  of  his  words.  "Keep  him 
there,  Tumbu,"  he  whispered  as  he  ran  to  the  gate. 

Bolted  and  barred  it  was,  and  in  the  darkness  of  the 
archway  it  was  hard  to  see,  for  the  lantern  had  gone 
out  in  the  scuffle.  But  there  was  no  time  to  lose,  for 
already  beyond  the  archway  it  showed  faintly  light. 
One  bar  down!  The  sentry  made  a  faint  effort  to 
stir,  that  was  answered  by  an  ominous  growl  from 
Tumbu. 

Only  one  more  bolt  now! 

Roy's  long  fingers  were  at  it — his  whole  strength 
went  to  it — it  creaked — groaned — slid,  and  with  a  sob 
of  exultation  Roy  felt  the  fresh  air  of  dawn  in  his  face 
as  he  stood  outside  the  Bala  Hissar. 

But  he  had  still  much  to  do.  The  city  must  be 
skirted,  the  hill  of  Arkaban  gained,  and  already  a 
faint  primrose  streak  in  the  eastern  sky  told  of  coming 
light. 


195 


CHAPTER  XXI 

DAWN 

Upon  the  Arkaban  hill  the  artillery  men  were 
already  at  work.  In  those  days  guns  were  not  what 
they  are  now,  quick  loading,  quick  firing. 

It  needed  a  good  hour  to  ram  the  coarse  powder 
down,  adjust  the  round  ball  and  prepare  the  priming; 
to  say  nothing  of  the  task  of  aiming.  So,  long  ere  dawn, 
the  ghmmering  lights  were  seen  about  the  battery, 
which,  perched  on  a  hill,  gave  on  the  half -breached 
bastion.  Between  the  two  stretched  an  open  space 
of  undulating  ground.  Sumbal,  "the  master  fire- 
worker," as  he  is  called  in  the  old  history  books,  was 
up  betimes  seeing  to  his  men,  and  with  him  came  a 
grave,  silent  man,  who,  though  he  had  no  interest  in 
the  quarrels  of  Humayon  and  his  brothers,  was  as 
eager  as  any  to  get  within  the  walls  of  Kabul  and  find 
what  he  sought— a  Rajput  lad  of  whom  word  had 
been  brought  to  a  little  half -desert  Rajput  state  lying 
far  away  in  the  Jesulmer  plain. 

For  the  grave,  silent  man,  who  showed  so  much 
knowledge  of  warfare,  who  was  keen  to  see  everything 
new  in  weapons  and  the  handling  of  them,  was  a  mes- 
senger sent  by  a  widowed  mother  to  see  if  indeed  it 
could  be  her  long-lost  son,  of  whom  a  certain  old 
trooper  had  spoken  on  his  return  from  Kabul. 
196 


DAWN 

"See  you!"  said  Sumbal,  who  was  a  bit  of  a  boaster, 
"give  me  time  to  aim  and  I'll  warrant  me  'Thunder 
of  God'  "  (that  was  the  name  let  in  with  gold  on  the 
breech  of  the  gun)  "will  hit  the  mark  within  a  yard 
every  time.  Thou  shalt  see  it  ere-long.  There  is  a 
sort  of  pigeon  place  on  the  face  of  the  bastion  where 
I  will  aim,  and  thou  shalt  see  the  splinters  of  it  spin!" 
He  shaded  his  eyes  with  his  hand  and  looked  piercingly 
into  the  shadows.  "  'Tis  too  dark  to  see  it  yet,  but  so 
soon  as  it  shows  I  will  let  fly,  and  then " 

And  then? 

Roy,  who  had  never  stopped  for  a  breath  yet  in  his 
headlong  race,  was  at  that  very  moment  rounding  on 
the  bastion,  and  looking  up,  saw  what  he  had  feared 
to  see — a  little  figure  bound  hand  and  foot  to  a  frame- 
work of  wood  that  hung  close  to  what  Sumbal  had 
called  the  pigeon  place,  seeming  to  form  part  of  it. 
The  child  was  not  crying.  Perhaps  he  was  past  that. 
Perhaps  he  had  never  cried,  but  had  taken  this  last 
and  urgent  danger  as  he  had  taken  others,  with  grave 
dignity. 

All  we  know  is  that  he  hung  there  on  the  wall,  and 
that  before  his  very  eyes  the  light  was  growing  in  the 
east,  and  over  in  the  hill  battery  a  dozen  men  were 
sweating  away  to  bring  the  "Thunder  of  God"  into 
position.  Roy  gave  a  gasp.  Should  he  call  to  the 
little  Heir-to-Empire  and  let  him  know  that  a 
friend  was  near,  that  help  might  come?     No!  per- 

197 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

haps  he  did  not  realise  his  danger.  It  was  better  to 
let  be. 

So  gathering  all  his  forces  for  a  last  effort,  he 
dashed  into  the  open  for  the  final  five  minutes'  run. 
And  there  could  be  no  dodging  here.  Every  loophole 
of  the  bastion  was,  he  knew,  crammed  with  the  match- 
locks of  many  marksmen.  And  there  was  now,  worse 
luck,  little  darkness  to  cover  him! 

"Three  minutes  more,  friend!"  said  Sumbal  boast- 
fully, "and  thou  shalt  see  what  thou  wilt  see.  Slave! 
the  port  fire,  quick.  I  will  give  the  signal.  Lo !  What 
is  up?" 

A  rattle  of  musketry  rose  on  the  still  air  of  dawn, 
and  an  artillery  man  leaned  over  the  low  embrasure 
to  see  better  into  the  intervening  valley. 

"Some  one  escaping,"  he  said  with  a  yawn,  for  he 
had  been  up  half  the  night.  "Lo!  he  runs  like  a  hare! 
But  they  will  have  him,  for  sure." 

"Quick,"  called  Sumbal,  "we  will  silence  their  noise. 
The  portfire,  I  say.    I  will  fire  old  Thunderer  myself." 

The  man  carrying  the  flaming  flashlight  handed  it 
to  his  superior,  but  in  so  doing  by  some  mischance  it 
dropped,  and  in  the  dropping  went  out ! 

"Fool!"  cried  Sumbal  passionately.  "Are  we  to 
stand  insulted  here  without  reply  while  thou  fetchest 
another?  Put  him  in  irons,  sergeant,  and  bring  light 
at  once!" 

But  the  grave,  silent  Rajput  was  watching  the 
198 


DAWN 

runner.  "He  is  but  a  boy,"  he  said  slowly,  "yet  see 
how  he  runs.  And  they  have  hit  him,  for  he  staggers. 
Yet  he  comes  on.  He  must  bring  news,  friend,  for 
sure!" 

"News!"  echoed  Sumbal  contemptuously;  "we  have 
half  a  hundred  such  runaways  coming  in  every  day. 
It  is  no  news  that  King  Humayon  is  better  liked  than 
Kumran.  Lo!  hast  thou  it  at  last?"  He  snatched 
the  portfire  from  the  sergeant  and  went  toward  the 
gun. 

"Stay  one  moment,  friend!"  said  the  grave  and 
silent  man  with  sudden  command  in  his  voice.  "A 
moment's  hastiness  may  bring  disaster.  Discretion  is 
better  than  valour.  Yonder  boy  brings  news — he 
waves  his  arms — he  shouts !  Stay  at  least  till  we  can 
hear  what  he  says." 

Sumbal  laughed.  "Bah!  But,  see  you,  I  stay  my 
hand  while  I  count  ten — no  more." 

"One!  two!  three!  four!" 

The  artillery  men,  amused  at  the  race,  leaned  over. 
"He  runs  well! — He  will  win! — He  will  lose! — He 
climbs  like  a  hill  cat!" 

''Five!  sice!  seven!  eight!  nine!" 

And  now,  unintelligible  from  sheer  breathlessness, 
Roy's  voice  is  heard.  The  grave,  silent  Rajput  leaps 
out  to  meet  him. 

''Ten!" 

Sumbal's  hand  swings  the  portfire  to  the  breech. 

199 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

Roy  sees  it,  throws  up  his  arms  wildly,  and  with 
a  cry— 

"The  bastion!  The  bastion!  The  Heir-to-Em- 
pire!" falls  headlong  into  the  Rajput's  arms. 

"What  did  he  say?"  asked  the  master  fireworker, 
pausing  half  surprised,  half  angry. 

But  the  Rajput  was  too  busy  tearing  aside  Roy's 
flimsy,  bloodstained  waistcoat  to  answer. 

"Something  about  the  bastion  and  the  Heir-to-Em- 
pire, master !"  said  the  sergeant  doubtfully.  "JNIayhap 
'twould  be  as  well  to  wait  till  we  can  see  more  clearly. 
Kumran,"  he  added  in  a  lower  voice,  "would  stick  at 
naught " 


Sumbal  hesitated,  then  put  down  the  portfire  and 
walked  over  to  the  fallen  lad,  beside  whom  the 
stranger  was  kneeling. 

"He  is  not  dead!  He  is  not  dead!"  said  the  grave, 
silent  Rajput,  looking  up,  his  face  working,  the  tears 
streaming  down  his  bronzed  cheek.  ''My  master  is 
not  dead!" 

"Who?"  asked  Sumbal,  uncomprehending. 

"I  knew  it  must  be  he !"  went  on  the  man  exultantly, 
even  in  his  grief.  "None  could  do  that  sort  of  thing 
save  a  Sun  hero!  My  Master!  my  King!  See,  here 
the  race  mark  on  his  breast!  The  sign  of  uttermost 
truth!    My  Master!    My  King!" 

But  Roy  did  not  hear  himself  called  thus.  He  did 
not  even  know  for  days  afterwards  if  he  had  succeeded 
200 


DAWN 

or  if  he  had  failed;  for  a  wound  just  above  the  heart, 
close  to  the  sign-mark  of  his  race,  very  nearly  carried 
him  off  into  the  Shadowy  Land  where  all  things  are 
remembered,  yet  all  are  forgotten. 

But  he  had  succeeded.  He  had  saved  the  Heir-to- 
Empire's  life  that  dawn,  and  a  day  or  two  afterwards 
Kumran,  daily  more  hated  for  his  cruelty,  had 
escaped,  and  the  soldiers,  rejoiced  to  get  rid  of  him, 
flung  open  the  gates  of  the  Bala  Hissar,  thus  ending 
Prince  Akbar's  adventures. 

But  when  Roy  came  to  himself  Mirak  was  sitting 
beside  him  and  Down  was  purring  on  Bija's  lap ;  Bija, 
who  had  just  returned  from  India  with  Queen 
Humeeda  in  time  to  console  the  Heir-to-Empire  for 
all  he  must  have  suffered  during  the  few  days  he 
was  left  alone  with  cruel  Uncle  Kumran.  How  much 
he  had  suffered  no  one  knew,  and  the  little  fellow  re- 
fused to  say  anything  about  it.  It  was  a  way  he  had 
when  the  luck  went  against  him.  So,  just  as  he  had 
remarked  when  he  had  fallen  down  the  ravine,  when 
the  white  cat  and  the  black  dog  first  came  to  him,  that 
he  had  "tumbu-down,"  so  now  he  simply  said  that  it 
wasn't  'very  comfy,"  but  that  Tumbu  had  come  to  see 
him  more  than  once.  And  this  was  possible,  for  you 
may  be  sure  that  once  he  allowed  the  Afghan  sentry 
to  rise,  Tumbu,  being  a  wise  dog,  never  went  near  him 
again.    Therefore  he  had  to  find  his  old  master. 

And  Foster-father,  Foster-mother  and  Head-nurse 

201 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

were  all  there,  the  latter  greatly  subdued  for  the  time, 
and  in  her  gratitude  to  Roy  inclined  to  give  him  some 
of  the  titles  she  was  wont  to  bestow  on  little  Prince 
Akbar. 

For  there  was  no  doubt  whatever  that  the  lad  was 
the  rightful  Rajah  of  Suryamer,  whom  wricked  rebels 
had  exposed  in  the  desert  to  die,  who  had  been  found 
and  kept  alive  by  wandering  goatherds  and  had  finally 
been  discovered  when  unconscious  from  sunstroke  by 
the  royal  fugitives. 

And  out  of  this  arose  the  only  sadness  of  the  happy 
]\Iay  days  when  the  little  party  once  more  journeyed 
out  to  Babar's  tomb  towards  evening  to  sit  under  the 
arghawdn  trees  and  watch  the  sunset. 

Of  course  Dearest-Lady  w^as  not  there,  but  all  the 
others  were  assembled,  and  Down,  the  cat,  purred  as 
loud  as  ever,  while  Tumbu,  the  dog,  frolicked  round 
even  more  like  a  golliwog  than  before.  But  it  was  not 
the  absence  of  the  Khanzada  Khanum  which  made 
faces  thoughtful  at  times.  She,  they  knew,  was  at 
rest,  and  they  laid  flowers  for  her  beside  those  they 
gathered  in  memory  of  Firdoos  Gita  Makani — on 
whom  be  peace! 

No!  it  was  the  knowledge  that  Roy  could  not  re- 
main with  them.  So  soon  as  he  was  strong  again  he 
must  go  back  to  his  mother,  go  back  to  a  people 
who,  tired  of  rebellion,  were  longing  for  their  old 
rulers. 
202 


DAWN 

"You  see,  brother,  I  am  a  King,"  said  Roy  sorrow- 
fully, "and  Kings  cannot  always  do  what  they  like." 

"Do  you  think  they  ever  do,  really?''  asked  the  little 
Heir-to-Empire  gravely,  "for  I  don't." 

And  here  we  come  to  the  end — for  a  time  at  least — 
of  Prince  Akbar's  adventures. 

Now,  if  you  want  to  know  how  much  of  this  so- 
called  veracious  story  is  really  true,  I  cannot  quite  say. 

Did  some  one  like  Roy  really  tell  the  master  fire- 
worker that  the  Heir-to-Empire  was  hung  over  the 
battlements  of  the  bastion?  If  some  one  did  not,  how 
did  the  master-fireworker  find  it  out?  And  he  did; 
indeed,  in  the  history  books  he  takes  great  credit  to 
himself  for  having  found  it  out.  But  then  he  was  a 
boaster. 

Then  did  Dearest-Lady  really  bind  Kumran  by  an 
oath  not  to  harm  the  Heir-to-Empire  until  she  re- 
turned? 

If  she  did  not,  then  why  did  she,  an  old,  frail  woman 
of  seventy,  go  out  into  the  wilderness  just  as  winter 
was  coming  on,  and  why  did  not  cruel  Kumran  kill 
the  Heir-to-Empire  when  he  had  him  in  his  power? 

These  are  all  questions ;  but  what  is  certain  is  that 
Baby  Akbar  did  go  through  all  these  adventures  be- 
fore he  was  five  years  old. 

So  good-bye,  brave  little  lads !  Good-bye,  stout  old 
Foster-father  and  kindly  Foster-mother!  Good-bye, 
worthy  Head-nurse  with  your  strings  of  titles,  and 

203 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AKBAR 

good-bye,  dainty  little  Bija!  Good-bye  also  to  grin- 
ning Meroo,  to  purring  Down,  and  frolicking  Tumbu! 

And  for  those  other  three  whose  memory  remained 
— Old  Faithful,  Dearest  Lady,  and  the  Great  Em- 
peror, Firdoos  Gita  Makani,  who  all  helped  the  little 
prince  to  safety,  what  of  them? 

"Heaven,"  as  the  marble  slab  among  the  tulips  and 
violets  of  the  Garden-of-the-New-Year  says, 

"'Is  their  eternal  abode.'  " 


204 


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